Two teams trying to find the end zone collide as the Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals both search for answers after rough stretches.
Detroit sits at 2-2 and dropped its last outing, while Arizona has been worse off, falling to 1-3 and losing three straight. The Lions have scored 119 points and allowed 127 this season; the Cardinals have managed just 87 points for and given up 117. With Arizona's offense sputtering, Detroit comes in as the clear road favorite looking to right the ship.
Game details
| When | Sunday, October 11, 2026 at 4:25 PM ET |
| Where | State Farm Stadium |
| TV | Fox |
| Line | Detroit Lions -5.5 | O/U 54.5 (market view) |
| Detroit Lions record | 2-2 |
| Arizona Cardinals record | 1-3 |
The matchup
Detroit's season has been a rollercoaster. They opened with a 31-30 win over the New Orleans Saints, got run over 31-41 by the Buffalo Bills, bounced back with a 31-24 win over the New York Jets, then dropped a 26-32 decision to the Carolina Panthers last week. That's a team capable of scoring in bunches but also prone to letting games slip.
Arizona's trend line points the wrong direction. After opening with a 26-14 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, the Cardinals have been outscored badly in three straight losses, including a 7-31 blowout against the Seattle Seahawks and back-to-back defeats to the San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants. Jacoby Brissett and this offense haven't found consistent footing, and that shows up in the red zone numbers all season.
Key matchups
Jahmyr Gibbs is the engine for Detroit's offense and the name that matters most near the goal line. When the Lions get inside the twenty, Gibbs is the first read, and against an Arizona defense that's been gashed all year, expect him to get fed on short-yardage downs.
Jared Goff targeting Amon-Ra St. Brown is still the most efficient red-zone connection on this roster, and Sam LaPorta gives Goff another high-percentage option once Detroit crosses midfield. On the other side, Trey McBride is Arizona's best weapon and the one Cardinals player who can win one-on-one matchups in tight spaces, but he needs more help than Michael Wilson and Jeremiyah Love have provided so far. Brissett will need to find McBride early and often if Arizona wants to keep pace.
Injuries that matter
Detroit is banged up on both lines. Ben Bartch (foot) and Cade Mays (wrist) are both out, which puts real pressure on the interior protection in front of Goff. Safety Brian Branch (Achilles) is also out, and cornerback Rock Ya-Sin (hamstring) is sidelined too, thinning out a secondary that already has to deal with explosive plays. Defensive tackle Tyleik Williams (foot) is questionable.
Arizona is missing offensive guard Isaiah Adams (ankle) and safety Andrew Wingard (knee), both ruled out. Defensive tackle Walter Nolen III (calf) and linebacker Karson Sharar (hamstring) are both questionable, which could affect Arizona's ability to slow down Gibbs and the Lions' ground game if either sits.
Fantasy angles
Jahmyr Gibbs is the clear start of the week here, projected for 26.5 DraftKings points, and with Arizona's defense bleeding points all season, he's in line for goal-line work all afternoon.
Jared Goff checks in at 22.5 projected points, and with Detroit's receiving corps healthy and the Cardinals struggling to get stops, he's a confident starter in all formats.
Amon-Ra St. Brown's 21.0 projection reflects his role as Goff's top target in scoring position, and he should see no shortage of chances inside the twenty.
On the Arizona side, Trey McBride's 13.5 projection makes him the only Cardinals skill player worth trusting this week, given how thin the surrounding weapons have looked through four games.
Sam LaPorta at 12.5 rounds out a strong group of Lions pass-catchers worth starting, especially in any format that rewards targets near the goal line.
The pick
Detroit is favored by 5.5 points with a total of 54.5, and the market score has the Lions winning 30-25. Given Arizona's three-game slide and the injuries up front on both lines, the Lions' red-zone weapons, led by Gibbs, should be enough to get Detroit back in the win column.
Injury report
| Player | Team | Pos | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Bartch | Detroit Lions | OG | Out |
| Cade Mays | Detroit Lions | C | Out |
| Brian Branch | Detroit Lions | S | Out |
| Tyleik Williams | Detroit Lions | DT | Questionable |
| Rock Ya-Sin | Detroit Lions | CB | Out |
| Isaiah Adams | Arizona Cardinals | OG | Out |
| Walter Nolen III | Arizona Cardinals | DT | Questionable |
| Karson Sharar | Arizona Cardinals | LB | Questionable |
| Andrew Wingard | Arizona Cardinals | S | Out |
Projected starters
| Pos | Detroit Lions | Arizona Cardinals |
|---|---|---|
| QB | Jared Goff | Jacoby Brissett |
| RB | Jahmyr Gibbs, Sione Vaki | Jeremiyah Love, Tyler Allgeier |
| WR | Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Isaac TeSlaa | Michael Wilson, Kendrick Bourne, Jalen Brooks |
| TE | Sam LaPorta | Trey McBride |
Recent results
| Team | Last games |
|---|---|
| Detroit Lions | Wk4 L 26-32 vs Carolina Panthers, Wk3 W 31-24 vs New York Jets, Wk2 L 31-41 vs Buffalo Bills |
| Arizona Cardinals | Wk4 L 24-36 vs New York Giants, Wk3 L 30-36 vs San Francisco 49ers, Wk2 L 7-31 vs Seattle Seahawks |
In this story
- Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals
- Arizona Cardinals
- Detroit Lions
- Amon-Ra St. Brown
- Andrew Wingard
- Ben Bartch
- Brian Branch
- Cade Mays
- Isaac TeSlaa
- Isaiah Adams
- Jacoby Brissett
- Jahmyr Gibbs
- Jalen Brooks
- Jameson Williams
- Jared Goff
- Jeremiyah Love
- Karson Sharar
- Kendrick Bourne
- Michael Wilson
- Rock Ya-Sin
- Sam LaPorta
- Sione Vaki
- Trey McBride
- Tyleik Williams
- Tyler Allgeier
- Walter Nolen III
Written by Rhett Zone, an AI analyst, from News Hub Fantasy data (schedule, scores, box scores, injuries and depth charts), and checked against that data before it published automatically. Read how we use AI in our editorial standards.