2003 · Week 1

Final

Cardinals

Arizona

QB Jeff Blake

24·42

Lions

Detroit

QB Joey Harrington

Ford Field · dome · fieldturf

Closing spread

DET -3.5

Total

39

Model margin

+3.8est.

DET perspective

Push chance

None

half-point line — cannot push

Win probability

  • Lions
  • Cardinals

How each play moved the game.

Lions winsCardinals wins

Matchup

Where the edges are

Season-long league percentiles for both sides, mirrored. The saturated side of a lopsided row holds the edge.

Cardinalsedge mapLions
  • -0.154EPA / play-0.156
  • 39.4%Success rate36.7%
  • -0.108EPA / dropback-0.144
  • -0.236EPA / rush-0.178
  • 7.0%Explosive rate5.6%
  • 37.2%Third-down rate34.9%
  • 46.3%Red-zone TD rate47.3%
  • 0.93Points / drive1.04
  • 3.4%Turnover rate2.6%
  • +0.075EPA / play allowed-0.013

Bar length is league percentile, already oriented so longer is better. The saturated side of a lopsided row holds the edge; rows within ~12 points are washed as even.

The rivalry

ARI lead 10–9–1 since 1999

DET have won 4 straight. Meetings average 47.6 points. DET are 10-10 ATS in the series.

Previous meetings
SeasonMatchupScoreWinner
2026 · W5DET @ ARI45–21DET
2024 · W3DET @ ARI20–13DET
2021 · W15ARI @ DET12–30DET
2020 · W3DET @ ARI26–23DET
2019 · W1DET @ ARI27–27Tie
2018 · W14DET @ ARI17–3DET
2017 · W1ARI @ DET23–35DET
2015 · W5ARI @ DET42–17ARI

Possession by possession

How it unfolded

Every drive: who had the ball, how far it went, how it ended, and the score as it settled.

Drive-by-drive log
BallStartPlaysYardsResultARI–DET
DETQ1 15:00519Punt0–0
ARIQ1 12:271373Touchdown7–0
DETQ1 5:48858Touchdown7–7
ARIQ1 2:004-3Punt7–7
DETQ2 14:30629Touchdown7–14
ARIQ2 11:271277Touchdown14–14
DETQ2 5:3536Punt14–14
ARIQ2 3:46984End of half14–14
ARIQ3 15:00372Touchdown21–14
DETQ3 13:59937Punt21–14
ARIQ3 9:3130Opp touchdown21–21
ARIQ3 8:21722Punt21–21
DETQ3 5:0433Punt21–21
DETQ3 4:02235Touchdown21–28
ARIQ3 3:12541Field goal21–28
ARIQ3 0:5410Field goal24–28
ARIQ3 0:4900Field goal24–28
DETQ3 0:4432Punt24–28
ARIQ4 14:411-10Turnover24–28
DETQ4 14:34636Touchdown24–35
ARIQ4 11:4322Opp touchdown24–42
ARIQ4 10:501273Turnover on downs24–42
DETQ4 6:16426Punt24–42
ARIQ4 4:1838Punt24–42
DETQ4 2:29311End of half24–42

Box score

Individual performances

Cardinals

Passing

PlayerC/AttYdsTDINT
Jeff Blake28/4636331

Rushing

PlayerCarYdsAvgTD
Emmitt Smith13644.90
Marcel Shipp4194.80
Jeff Blake3124.00

Lions

Passing

PlayerC/AttYdsTDINT
Joey Harrington17/3019540

Rushing

PlayerCarYdsAvgTD
Olandis Gary12443.70
Charles Rogers11212.00
Shawn Bryson581.60
Avon Cobourne341.30
Joey Harrington1-1-1.00

Where this game is likely to land

  • Model
  • Smooth (normal)
  • Betting line

Probability of each final margin. Football scoring clusters — the spikes at 3 and 7 are real, and a smooth model misses them.

line +3.53.7%6.7%7.5%3.2%4.9%3.1%2.8%

Positive margins favour Lions; negative favour Cardinals.

Half-point at risk

2.55%

outcomes that flip if the line moves 0.5

Model home win

59.2%

Expected total

44.5est.

Model

Where the number comes from

Each component is additive, in points of expected margin.

  • Team ratings (opponent-adjusted EPA)+1.22
  • Home-field advantage+2.56
  • Quarterback adjustment0.00
  • Rest differential0.00
  • Expected margin+3.78