Arizona Cardinals vs. Detroit Lions Betting Odds, Analysis, NFL Pick

The winless Detroit Lions will go for their first victory of the season Sunday when they host the Arizona Cardinals. The Lions will be playing on a short week after suffering a tough 13-10 road loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night. The Cardinals are coming off their first setback of the year at home to the St. Louis Rams but have gone 6-0 straight up and 5-1 against the spread in the last six meetings.

Point spread: The Cardinals opened as three-point favorites; the total was 44 early in the week, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark (line updates and matchup report).

NFL pick, via Odds Shark computer: 23.0-22.2 Cardinals

Why the Cardinals can cover the spread

Arizona’s Bruce Arians is a master motivator, which is one of the reasons why he won NFL Coach of the Year honors filling in for Chuck Pagano with the Indianapolis Colts. He won the award again last year and knows how to get his team to bounce back from disappointing performances. Last week’s home loss to the St. Louis Rams was one of those, and he will find a way to get his players ready to roll in Detroit on Sunday.

The Cardinals also have the advantage of facing the Lions after they played a tough Seattle team that wears on you mentally and physically. Their opponent will feel frustrated after nearly upsetting the Seahawks and not getting the right call at the end of the game when the ball was batted out of the end zone. Despite being back home, Detroit can’t help but see this as a letdown spot coming off that disappointing loss.

Why the Lions can cover the spread

The Lions may have lost a heartbreaker at Seattle, but they can view it as a positive experience because they gave the Seahawks everything they had and almost won the game. Defensively, Detroit showed a lot of poise and did a great job containing quarterback Russell Wilson, who lost two fumbles, one of which led to a defensive touchdown. Arizona’s Carson Palmer is nowhere near the same type of player.

Offensively, the Lions have a lot of work to do, but quarterback Matthew Stafford played much better in the fourth quarter when the game was on the line. Stafford almost threw the game-winning touchdown pass to wide receiver Calvin Johnson, who ended up fumbling near the goal line. Sooner or later, things will start clicking for them.

Smart pick

Arizona is a rare road favorite and came through with a big win in a similar spot away from home against the Chicago Bears in Week 2. But even though they have yet to win a game, the Lions are a better team than the Bears and will show it here. Look for Detroit to use the loss to Seattle as motivation and notch its first win over the Cards.

Betting trends

• The Cardinals are 6-0 SU and 5-1 ATS in their last six games against the Lions.
• The Cardinals are 1-8 SU and 2-6-1 ATS in their last nine games on the road in October.
• The Lions are 7-1-1 ATS in their last nine games at home in October.

All point spread and line data courtesy of Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and get the free odds tracker app.