After spending the entire preseason trying to hide his offense, we will finally get to see the full Kliff Kingsbury Air Raid attack out in the desert. I have a feeling that this game will be wildly entertaining. The Lions lack the perimeter threats to pose a challenge to what will be a weakened Cards secondary due to injuries and the suspension of starting CB Patrick Peterson. Grab Arizona.

The Lions have gone Over the total in 11 of their last 12 Week 1 games, but that’s not the reason I’m betting them Over this week. It’s all about the Cardinals and their fast pace, which was never shown during the preseason. Coach Kliff Kingsbury didn’t want to show anything the Lions and others could gameplan for. During preseason, the total for this one dropped. I’m on the Over.

The Cardinals will roll out a first-time NFL head coach and rookie QB, and they’ll be working with a rebuilt-but-recently-awful O-line and a secondary that’s missing two starting cornerbacks. No thanks. Love the home dogs, but not in this spot. Arizona went turbo vanilla in the preseason (Kyler Murray: 23 total completions, 0 TDs) and it’s wishful thinking that Kliff Kingsbury (35-40 in six seasons at Texas Tech) can magically make points appear in Week 1. The Lions shouldn't be road favorites too often, but they need to win by only a field goal in this agreeable matchup.

New head coach (Kliff Kingsbury). New defensive coordinator (Vance Joseph). New offense (Air Raid). New defense. (3-4 base). New quarterback (rookie Kyler Murray). Yet, for now, it’s the same old Arizona in terms of wins and losses. This massive overhaul will take time. The Cardinals get a relatively soft opener in the desert heat, but the Lions are more stable. They will place more emphasis this season on the run, which bodes well against an inferior foe. If QB Matthew Stafford looks to pass, he won’t have to contend with CB Patrick Peterson (suspended), a rare star on the Cardinals.

I could swear that I've heard NFL types openly mocking Lions coach Matt Patricia for the last 13 months now. Some have said he's the worst coach in the league, and that he might not even make it through Year Two. Yet, despite all of this, the Lions open the season as favorites on the road? I get the lack of faith in Arizona, but I'll take the points here.

Taking the Lions as a road favorite seems like a TERRIBLE idea, but I can't help myself. I think this team is underrated, and I expect the defense to play well this season even after Jarrad Davis' injury (rookie Jahlani Tavai will take over and is a sleeper to turn heads early). Center Frank Ragnow escaped serious injury last week and should play in this game. I don't have confidence in the Cardinals offensive line, head coach or new quarterback to shine early in the season, and the defense is short-handed in the secondary and switching schemes again in the front seven. Let's take advantage by fading this mess of a team.