Lions vs. Cardinals prediction, odds: Detroit opens as 3-point road favorite over Arizona

The panic meter hasn't flipped on the Detroit Lions a day after falling 20-16 at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers .

The Lions are three-point road favorites over the Arizona Cardinals in the initial line posted by BetMGM on Monday morning. Both teams enter 1-1 after the Lions' loss and the Cardinals ' beatdown of the LA Rams, 41-10. (The Lions beat the Rams in OT in Week 1, 26-20).

This is the first time the Lions have played the Cardinals since 2021, when they stunned Arizona, 10-3 at the time, 30-12 at Ford Field in Dan Campbell's first year. Arizona has since fired the coach at the time, Kliff Kingsbury, and is now in Year 2 under coach Jonathan Gannon — previously the defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Lions failed as heavy favorites against a hungry Buccaneers team on Sunday due to a shoddy 1-for-7 performance in the red zone, a two-interception day by Jared Goff and a coaching blunder that cost Detroit a field goal before the half. The Lions failed to capitalize on a solid performance from the defense, led by Aidan Hutchinson's 4½ sacks .

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The Cardinals put up one of the most dominant performances of Week 2, battering the beat-up Rams 41-10. Kyler Murray had a perfect 158.3 passer rating, completing 17 of 21 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns. Fourth-overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr. looked the part in his second game with four catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns. The defense held Matthew Stafford and the battered Rams offense to 245 yards.

The Lions will try to repeat last year's path where they bounced back from a Week 2 loss to the Seattle Seahawks to shut down the Atlanta Falcons 20-6 in Week 3, though that game was home.

“It sucks,” Hutchinson told reporters in the postgame locker room. “But I was just talking to some guys. I think this is going to be really good for us. We had an early loss last year too. And, you know, I remember we lost to Seattle, and everybody thought we sucked again. I think we're going to keep this one in perspective. And, you know, if we're going to be struggling a little bit as a team, I'd rather we struggle early, rather than late."

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Lions vs. Cardinals prediction, odds

Jared Ramsey, Detroit Free Press: The Lions let a pile of uncharacteristic mistakes compile into a Week 2 disappointment. Head coach Dan Campbell took the blame himself postgame for the field goal gaffe to close the first half, but Jared Goff's off day coupled with not finding the right red zone play calls or run-pass mix vs. the Tampa front were all a factor. The Cardinals' defense is coming off a good performance Sunday, but was susceptible in Week 1 against the Bills, and gave up the second-most points in the NFL in 2023.

Murray looks like he's playing some of the best ball of his career and has a talented crop of skill players around him, led by Harrison Jr. out wide and James Conner in the backfield. The Lions have been stout against the run and the Cardinals have been one of the most effective teams at establishing it so far, providing a good test for the Lions' defense at all three levels. The Lions should be able to fix their scoring issues this week, but have another good offense ready to stress the defense. The pick: Lions 24, Cardinals 23.

• Spread: Lions by 3.
• Moneyline: Lions -165, Cardinals +145.
• Point total over/under: 51½.

Odds according to BetMGM as of Monday afternoon.

Jared Ramsey is a sports reporter for the Detroit Free Press covering the city's professional teams, the state's two flagship universities and more. Follow Jared on X @jared_ramsey22 , and email him at jramsey@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions vs. Cardinals prediction, odds: Detroit opens as 3-point road favorite over Arizona