Lions (4-8) at Cardinals (3-9)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Ariz. TV: Fox
Danny Sheridan’s odds: Lions by 2 ⁄2
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Lions’ keys to victory: The Cardinals struggle when they fall behind by more than a touchdown. The Lions need to take an early lead so they can put the Cardinals away. They must force the Cardinals into third and long, as Arizona struggles on third down. They must make an effort to run the ball because Arizona allows an average of 4.5 yards a carry. LaGarrette Blount ran for 61 yards in the last game, but had only 11 yards in the first half.
Cardinals’ keys to victory: They must play mistake-free football as they did last weekend against the Packers. They did not turn the ball over in that game and were strong against the run as they overcame a 10-7 halftime deficit to win 20-17 on Zane Gonzalez’s 44yard field goal with 1:41 left. The Cardinals must continue with that strong play, but consistency has been a struggle for them this season. They must also get pressure on Lions QB Matthew Stafford and force turnovers.
Matchup to watch: Cardinals DE Chandler Jones vs. Lions LT Taylor Decker. Jones continues to be one of the best and most consistent pass rushers in the league. He ranks third in the league this season with 12 sacks in 12 games, and he has 40 sacks, including a league-leading 17 last season, since coming to Arizona in 2016.
Who wins? The Cardinals play a solid game for the second week in a row and RB David Johnson scores twice. WR Larry Fitzgerald scores once to continue Arizona’s dominance against Detroit. The Lions have lost seven of their last eight games against the Cardinals.
Cardinals, 24-13 LIONS SCHEDULE
L ......... N.Y. Jets ......... 48-17 L ...... at San Fran . ...... 30-27 W .... New England .... 26-10 L .......... at Dallas .......... 26-24 W ....... Green Bay ....... 31-23 Oct. 14 .............. Bye .............. W ......... at Miami ......... 32-21 L ........... Seattle ........... 28-14 L ...... atMinnesota ...... 24-9 L ....... at Chicago ....... 34-22 W ......... Carolina ......... 20-19 L .......... Chicago .......... 23-16 L ........ L.A.Rams ........ 30-16 Dec. 9 ..... at Arizona ..... 4:25 Dec. 16 ....... at Buffalo ....... 1 Dec. 23 ...... Minnesota ...... 1 Dec.30 ...atGreenBay .... 1
L ...... Washington ...... 24-6 L ...... at L.A. Rams ...... 34-0 L ......... Chicago ......... 16-14 L .......... Seattle .......... 20-17 W at San Francisco 28-18 L .... atMinnesota .... 27-17 L .......... Denver .......... 45-10 W ... San Francisco ...18-15 Nov. 4 .............. Bye .............. L ...atKansasCity ...26-14 L ......... Oakland ......... 23-21 L ...... at Chargers ...... 45-10 W .... at Green Bay .... 20-17 Dec.9 ...... Detroit ...... 4:25 Dec. 16 ...... at Atlanta ...... 1 Dec. 23 ... L.A. Rams ... 4:05 Dec. 30 ... at Seattle ... 4:25