Sunday the Detroit Lions travel to Arizona to face the Cardinals looking to snap their 5 game losing streak and attempt to find out just exactly what they have as a team with the season winding down. The Lions are officially out of the playoffs and have ensured a losing season, however coming into this game the Cardinals have been just as bad as Detroit, if not worse.
Arizona started the season a big surprise going 4-0 which included a huge upset against New England on the road. The Cards have since fallen on hard times losing 9 straight games including their worst defeat in history 58-0 against the Seahawks. Normally after a defeat of this magnitude facing a team suffering this kind of embarrassment would be dangerous.
Not in this case though.
Despite having All-Pro wide out Larry Fitzgerald beyond that the Cardinals have no quarterback, offensive line or running game which should limit the damage Fitzgerald does to the Detroit secondary.
On the other side of things, the Lions do have some bright spots. Quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Calvin Johnson are chasing records with Megatron having a good shot at having one of the finest seasons a wide receiver has ever had. And with Arizona on the schedule this week there’s no doubt Johnson should get closer to that goal.
This matchup against the Cardinals is also good for Detroit’s over worked defense. After a stretch of games facing quality QB’s and offensive lines Suh in the middle of the Lions defensive line should be able to disrupt the weakened Cardinals front four and generate a decent amount of pressure. This is even the case with second year defensive tackle Nick Fairley being doubtful in today’s game.
The Cards though are good in pass coverage and keep teams from delivering the football through the air. With that in mind the Calvin Johnson/Patrick Peterson battle should definitely be something to keep an eye on. However Arizona has a poor run defense which should limit what they do in the secondary this week opening things up for Stafford and Megatron. Furthermore I would also expect Joique Bell to put up some decent numbers against that poor run defense.
Lions 31, Cardinals 20
h/t: US Press Wire (image)