CARDINALS AT LIONS SCOUTING REPORT
Cardinals on offense
The Cardinals offense is at full strength for the first time in a year. Quarterback Carson Palmer says his arm is fresh (it wasn’t at this time last year). Receiver John Brown is close to 100 percent (he wasn’t a year ago). And the offensive line isn’t missing any starters (that rarely happened a year ago). Will those factors make a difference? They'd better or it’s going to be another long season. The Cardinals have size and power in their offensive line, so they should be able to run the ball effectively. The question is can they protect Palmer? He was pummeled last season, sacked 40 times. The poor protection coupled with Brown’s physical maladies severely limited the ability to pass for big gains, a staple of coach Bruce Arians’ system. The Lions don’t have a great pass rush, and their best rusher, Ziggy Ansah, has been limited in practice after being moved off the physically-unable-to-perform list. If the Cardinals can protect Palmer, they will have opportunities against the Lions’ secondary. And running back David Johnson is a mismatch against almost all linebackers and safeties. Edge: Cardinals.
Lions on offense
The last time these teams met, in 2015, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was benched in the third quarter after his third interception. The Lions lost 42-17 at home, but it was a pivotal time in Stafford’s career. Up to that point, Stafford had played 21 games under coach Jim Caldwell. He threw for 28 touchdowns and 20 interceptions in that period, according to the Detroit Free Press. Over the next 27 games, Stafford has accounted for 50 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions. A change in offensive coordinators that same year helped, too. Jim Bob Cooter took over during that 2015 season. Since then, the Lions have used more quick passing, and Stafford has survived and thrived in that style. The Cardinals' revamped defense will be tested. They have five different starters from last year, although safeties Tyrann Mathieu, Tyvon Branch and cornerback Justin Bethel were with the team. All had excellent training camps, giving the Cardinals reason to believe they are better defensively than a year ago. Controlling the Lions backfield of Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick will be imperative. Both backs are accomplished runners and Riddick is an excellent receiver. Rookie linebacker Haason Reddick will have his coverage and diagnostic skills tested. Edge: Cardinals.
Special teams
The Cardinals changed all three specialists over the past year. They also have a new full-time kick and punt returner, running back Kerwynn Williams. They drafted with the mindset of improving on special teams, too. Will all of those factors mean improvement on units that were among the worst in the NFL a year ago? Kicker Phil Dawson has a history of making clutch kicks (Chandler Catanzaro didn’t). Punter Andy Lee has been among the best in the league throughout his career (Drew Butler and others weren’t). Special teams cost the Cardinals at least three victories a year ago. Edge: Lions.
Bottom line
A year ago, the Cardinals went 2-4 against non-division NFC opponents. Those games are vital to their playoff hopes and play a huge factor if tiebreakers decide playoff spots. The Cardinals lost their opening game and three of their first four overall a year ago. They never recovered. Did they learn a lesson? Prediction: Cardinals 27, Lions 23.