Each team has two former players of the other team on their roster. Matt Prater and Devon Kennard both played for the Lions previously.
The Arizona Cardinals and Detroit Lions, despite not being in the same division, are familiar opponents. Their Week 15 matchup marks the fifth straight year and the ninth out of the last 10 seasons that they play each other.
They also have familiar faces on the team.
Two Cardinals are former Lions players and the Lions have two former Cardinals on the team.
A win for the Cardinals would be their first over the Lions since 2015 and first over Jared Goff since 2016.
The Arizona Cardinals are 10-3 this season and will take on the 1-11-1 Detroit Lions Sunday on the road at 1 p.m. ET. They are heavy favorites, as they should be, and can clinch a playoff spot if they win the game.
However, they will have to end a pair of winless streaks in the process.
They have not beaten the Lions since 2015 and have not beaten their starting quarterback, Jared Goff, since his rookie season in 2016.
This will be the fifth straight year the Cardinals and Lions face each other. the Cardinals are 0-3-1 in the last four meetings.
Goff, who played for the Los Angeles Rams before this season, has beaten the Cardinals seven straight starts. All those were as a member of the Rams before being traded to Detroit this year.
The Cardinals can get multiple monkeys off their back with a win. A win ends their winless streak against the Lions, their losing streak against Goff and will end their streak of not making the playoffs.
Overall, the Lions lead the all-time series 34-28-1. It is the ninth time in 10 years they have faced each other. Before the four-game winless streak against the Lions, the Cardinals had won seven games in a row in the series.
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is 0-1-1 against the Lions. Let’s look back at the last four losses to the Lions.
Despite the injuries to DeAndre Hopkins and James Conner, the movement on the betting line for Cardinals-Lions has changed only minimally.
The Arizona Cardinals received bad news about receiver DeAndre Hopkins’ knee. He will undergo surgery and be out the rest of the regular season. That news came out after the initial betting lines for the Cardinals’ Week 15 road matchup against the Detroit Lions.
His injury and the uncertain status of running back James Conner have changed little.
The Cardinals are still heavy favorites in this game.
The line has only moved a little since the start of the week.
According to Tipico Sportsbook as of Friday morning, on the money line, they are -700 to win straight up. That gives them 87.5% implied odds of winning, only slightly below the 90% implied odds at -900.
To bet the Cardinals on the money line, it would take a $700 wager to win $100 if they win. That is considered an awful value.
The Lions are +470, giving them 17.54% implied odds of winning the game. Betting the Lions can earn a big payout. Betting $100 on the Lions on the money line wins $470 if they win.
The problem is that they aren’t likely to win.
Against the spread, since the news of the injury to Hopkins, the line has moved a couple of points.
The Cardinals are now favored -11.5 (-110). A $110 bet on the Cardinals to cover would win $100 if they win by at least 12 points.
The Lions are +11.5 (-110), so a Lions ATS bet of $110 wins $100 if they beat the Cardinals, tie with them or lose by no more than 11.
The total has remained unchanged. It was 47.5 to start the week and remains there. The Over is -108 and the Under is -112. A $108 wager on the Over wins $100 if the two teams combine for at least 48 points. A $112 bet on the Under wins $100 if they combine for 47 or fewer points on Sunday.
The Cardinals are 10-3 overall, 9-4 ATS and 7-6 O/U
The Lions are 1-11-1 overall, 8-5 ATS and 5-8 O/U.
The Lions had improvements to their Thursday injury report but will lose Hockenson for the rest of the season. He needs season-ending hand surgery.
The Detroit Lions returned to practice on Thursday in their preparation to host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. They had bad news and good news. Their best offensive weapon in the passing game will be out the rest of the season but their first-round tackle was upgraded.
There were some changes to their injury report on Thursday. The details are below.
There were few changes to the Cardinals’ injury report on Thursday.
The Arizona Cardinals did not practice on Wednesday but did get back to the field on Thursday to hold a full practice. They also released their second injury report of the week.
It has a lot of the same, but one player was upgraded and another downgraded.
The details of Thursday’s injury report are below.
The Cardinals had been unaffected by the recent breakout around the league. That changed on Thursday with Rodney Hudson, who might miss Sunday’s game.
The NFL is dealing with a massive outbreak of COVID-19 around the entire league. Up until Thursday, the Arizona Cardinals were unaffected.
That changed on Thursday, as center Rodney Hudson was placed on the COVID reserve.
He is unlikely to be able to play this weekend against the Detroit Lions.
The league announced Thursday there are protocol changes within facilities to try and curb the spread of the virus and that they have adjusted return-to-practice requirements.
Previously, two negative tests for vaccinated players were required. That probably will be reduced to one.
In any case, it is a problem for the league right now. Luckily for the Cardinals, they have been largely unaffected. Hopefully that continues to be the case in the next couple of days and that there aren’t more positive tests leading up to Sunday’s game.
The Cardinals have nine possible ways to clinch their first postseason berth since 2015 in Week 15, but the easiest one is to just beat the one-win Lions.
The Arizona Cardinals only needed a win over the Los Angeles Rams to clinch their first playoff berth since the 2015 season. They lost that game and the other unlikely scenarios did not happen, so their ticket to the playoff remains unpunched.
Entering Week 15, the same thing applies — win and you’re in, as the saying goes.
There are nine scenarios in which the Cardinals can earn a playoff berth. The one that really matters most is beating the 1-11-1 Detroit Lions. If they beat the Lions, they make the playoffs.
If they don’t, there are eight other possible scenarios for the Cardinals to make the playoffs without beating the Lions.
They will clinch a playoff berth if they beat the Lions or if any of the following happens:
The Saints lose to or tie with the Buccaneers and the Vikings lose to or tie with the Bears. (plausible)
A Saints loss or tie and a tie between Washington and the Eagles. (unlikely)
The Saints lose to or tie with the Bucs, the Eagles lose to Washington, the Falcons lose to or tie with the 49ers and the Packer beat or tie with the Ravens. (possible, I suppose)
The Saints lose to or tie with the Bucs, the 49ers and Falcons tie and the Rams lose to the Seahawks. (unlikely)
The Vikings lose to or tie with the Bears and Eagles-Washington is a tie. (unlikely)
The Vikings lose to or tie with the Bears and the 49ers lose to the Falcons. (possible)
The 49ers lose to the Falcons and Eagles-Washington is a tie. (unlikely)
The 49ers tie with the Falcons, the Rams lose to the Seahawks and Eagles tie with Washington. (super unlikely because of two ties)
In other words, the Cardinals just need to beat the Lions. After all, the Lions are 1-11-1 and the Cardinals are 10-3. Losing to them would be embarrassing.
Check out the Lions’ first injury report of the week.
The Detroit Lions began their week of practice Wednesday to prepare for the Arizona Cardinals, who face them on the road Sunday in Week 15. The Cardinals’ first injury report was lengthy even without a full practice.
The Lions’ first injury report was even longer.
Six players did not participate, including key offensive players who have already missed games, while another five were limited.
The details of the first injury report of the week are below.
The Cardinals protect WR Andre Baccellia, WR Greg Dortch, CB Jace Whittaker and CB Kevin Peterson this week.
The Arizona Cardinals have injuries at wide receiver and at cornerback this week. DeAndre Hopkins is going to have knee surgery, missing the rest of the season and potentially returning in late January for a deep playoff run.
Cornerback Robert Alford was listed on Wednesday’s injury report with a pectoral injury. The signing of Breon Borders suggests he might have to miss a game or two.
So it is no surprise that the Cardinals used their four practice squad protections on a pair of receivers and a pair of cornerbacks.
According to the NFL transaction report on Wednesday, the Cardinals protected:
WR Andre Baccellia
WR Greg Dortch
CB Jace Whittaker
CB Kevin Peterson
The protections could be more intended to keep them from being signed elsewhere because they want them to stick around next year.
Whittaker is a solid player on special teams.
Dortch and Baccellia are both smaller receivers. Dortch has been a return specialist. With Hopkins out, that would mean an increased role on offense for Rondale Moore, who has been handling return duties. Both Dortch and Baccellia could be used as returners.
The Arizona Cardinals WR has a torn MCL. He could be back for the playoffs.
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins suffered a knee injury against the Los Angeles Rams Monday night and now, after an MRI and a second opinion, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, he is going to have knee surgery.
Hopkins has a torn MCL and will miss the rest of the regular season. His recovery time is expected to be about six weeks, which would be during the playoffs with a potential target of late January for his return.
He will land on injured reserve.
Hopkins missed three games due to a hamstring injury and was finally healthy again on Monday when the knee injury occurred.
Prior to this season, Hopkins had never missed more than one game in any season and had only missed two his entire career.
The Cardinals are currently 10-3 and lead the NFC West. They have a chance to be the No. 1 seed, which would give them a first-round bye. If they do get that, it is possible Hopkins could return for their first postseason game in the divisional round.
Hopkins’ regular season ends with his lowest single-season totals in catches and yards. He finishes the season with 42 catches for 572 yards and eight touchdowns.
