>+𝐿𝐼𝒱𝐸’’• “49ers vs Cardinals”(Livestream) — NFL FREE, TV channel 2020
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Some thought it would never happen amid a pandemic. Wildfires in California continue to threaten it. But, as of Saturday, the Arizona Cardinals’ season starts on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:25 pm PT at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.

Broadcast Information

TV: Fox with Kevin Kugler, Chris Spielman & Laura Okmin

Radio: 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station

Inside Slant

The Cardinals and 49ers have indulged in many tough battles recently. The score differential was 10 or under in each of the past seven meetings, including last year when the young Cardinals won five games and the 49ers won the NFC.

They played each other twice in three weeks in 2019. During the first, on a Thursday night, the 49ers held on for a three-point win despite getting outscored in the fourth quarter 11–0. Two weeks later, the Cardinals were up 16–0 in the second quarter, but the 49ers took over the rest of the game to win 36–26. 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo passed for 424 yards and four scores.

And down the stretch the Cardinals come, with a chance to make the playoffs for the first time since 2015. Up next, a battle at home against a team that is actually practicing closer to the stadium than the Cards. Anyway, mailbag time. As always, send along a question for a future mailbag by going here.

From Bob Haines via azcardinals.com:

“Darren, another clutch win for the Cardinals. Looking forward, I believe a win against the injury-riddled 49ers would probably get the Cardinals in the playoffs as the Bears have to play the Packers in Green Bay the final week of the season. Just wondering, if the Rams lose to the Seahawks next week and the Cardinals can manage to finally beat the Rams in Week 17, would the Cardinals jump the Rams in the playoff scenario? Thanks for all the great articles you write each week and the mailbag. Have a Merry Christmas.”

If the Cardinals beat the Rams, assuming they beat the 49ers too, yes, they would surpass the Rams if the Rams lose to the Seahawks. If the Cards beat the Rams and the teams are tied in the standings, the Cardinals will also surpass the Rams. (As an aside, the Cardinals clinch a playoff spot this week if they beat the Niners and the Bears lose to the Jaguars.)

From Dhruvraj Parmar via azcardinals.com:

“Hey Darren, hello again from New Jersey and thanks for the mailbag. I have seen our younger players step up to the plate time and again. Byron Murphy with some critical pass break-ups and Hail Mary bat down. Not enough people are talking about Isaiah Simmons stop on the two-point attempt. What other young player stands out for you (other then Kyler)?”

I mean, I guess it’s the definition of young. I like the flashes I’ve seen from Leki Fotu. I like Dan Arnold. Is Chase Edmonds still young? I mean, Dennis Gardeck, amirite?

From Luce Brown via azcardinals.com:

“Hi Darren. We need to have a serious talk about Dennis Gardeck. And it bothers me when I hear discussion around him with the tone of ‘Oh, the loveable special teamer got another sack! How fun!’ Its not longer a fluke or novelty act. Gardeck is legitimately really freakin good at getting to the QB. Specifically his speed and bend on the edge is elite. Yes, ELITE. He should be considered for starter reps. He’s a better pass rusher than Kennard, that’s clear. And he might be better than Reddick, if he got the same snap count. In my eyes, I see a Clay Matthews. Who was a full-time Pro Bowl pass rusher. Gardeck should get consideration to be the starting pass rusher opposite of Chan next year. WHY NOT?”

Also, from @edburmila viat Twitter:

“Everybody’s talking about Gardeck’s big production from limited snaps, but isn’t part of the reason he produces that his snaps are limited? He’s so undersized (and already playing a ton on special teams) that he’d have to be situational. Or could he evolve into a full-time player?”

I decided to package together these two Gardeck questions. I understand both. Now, is Gardeck another Clay Matthews? I don’t think so, with all due respect to Gardeck. He is physically smaller, which is why he wasn’t heavily recruited and why he wasn’t drafted. Now, has he proven himself worthy to be part of the pass rush rotation? Absolutely. But it’s funny that Kennard is mentioned, because Kennard basically is no longer a pass rusher. It’s Reddick, Golden, Gardeck and sometimes these days, Simmons. I agree with Ed — part of his success is that his snaps are limited, in a way that maximizes his talents. If he’s out there most plays and it isn’t an obvious passing down, then Gardeck is just a smaller defender on the edge and that is dangerous for a defense. Clearly, he is showing some elite tools, but that doesn’t mean he is elite. I think Vance Joseph is using him quite well right now.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in a position to lock up a playoff spot on Saturday, should they pull off a road win against the Detroit Lions. You’d think it will come easy — for the first time this season, we’re going to see an NFL team without its head coach due to COVID-19 concerns. And not only will Detroit be without its interim HC in Darrell Bevell, but plenty of other assistant coaches as well.

But who knows? What if the Lions pull off something spectacular with wide receivers coach Robert Prince acting as the interim-to-the-interim head coach?

Vegas doesn’t think so: The Buccaneers are 9.5-point road favorites. The over/under is set at 54.

Below, you’ll find our staff picks and predictions for the game.

Zach Goodall: Buccaneers 35, Lions 24

Even without Bevell calling plays as he is also the offensive coordinator, the Lions should be able to score points behind the arm of Matthew Stafford and the brains of Sean Ryan, who will handle playcalling duties. Ryan is considered an up-and-coming bright mind in the league with ample experience developing quarterbacks, and this chance to put together a sound gameplan could help with future offensive coordinator interviews for the 48 year old.

The Lions have scored under 20 points in just one game this season, I should add. This game could have a bit of a shootout feel.

But, in the end, the Bucs are the more complete team and are certainly more comfortable with their on-field coaching staff at this point. The Lions own the NFL’s №30 team defense, №29 rushing defense, and №27 passing defense.

That should be enough for a double-digit dub in the Bucs’ favor.

Jason Beede: Buccaneers 38, Lions 21

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a lot to play for on Saturday while the Detroit Lions have nothing to lose.

The Lions are hoping to rain on the parade of the Bucs, who are in search of their first playoffs since 2007. While I am expecting the Bucs to still come out to a slow start, as usual, quarterback Tom Brady knows how to win when it’s needed most and has already won four games this season when trailing by at least ten points.

Last week, I predicted that tight end Rob Gronkowski would catch another touchdown, and while he didn’t, I have a feeling Santa Claus, or in this case Brady, will wrap up and gift him his sixth touchdown of the season against the Lions.

Despite a predictable slow start to the game on Saturday, the Bucs will lead at halftime by a touchdown, and when it’s all said and done, finish on top by multiple scores. Besides, the Lions will be down multiple coaches against the Bucs due to COVID-19 contact tracing.

The Detroit Lions need to shore up a defense that is allowing 31.07 points per game before their contest on Saturday. They will be home for the holidays to greet the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 1 p.m. ET at Ford Field. Detroit is out to stop a six-game streak of losses at home.

This past Sunday, the Lions got maybe a little too into the holiday spirit, gifting the Tennessee Titans an easy 46–25 victory. Detroit’s loss shouldn’t obscure the performances of WR Marvin Jones, who caught ten passes for one TD and 112 yards, and RB D’Andre Swift, who punched in two rushing touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Tampa Bay didn’t have too much breathing room in their matchup with the Atlanta Falcons this past Sunday, but they still walked away with a 31–27 win. The win came about thanks to a strong surge after the half to overcome a 17 to nothing deficit. Tampa Bay can attribute much of their success to QB Tom Brady, who passed for two TDs and 390 yards on 45 attempts, and RB Leonard Fournette, who punched in two rushing touchdowns. Brady ended up with a passer rating of 156.40.

Detroit is expected to lose this next one by 9.5. Those betting on them against the spread shouldn’t have high expectations for them since the team is 3–6 ATS when expected to lose.

The Lions are now 5–9 while the Buccaneers sit at a mirror-image 9–5. Tampa Bay is 5–3 after wins this year, and Detroit is 4–4 after losses.

How To Watch

When: Saturday at 1 p.m. ET

Where: Ford Field — Detroit, Michigan

TV: NFL Network

Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)

Follow: CBS Sports App

Odds

The Buccaneers are a big 9.5-point favorite against the Lions, according to the latest NFL odds.

Over/Under: -111

See NFL picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Detroit and Tampa Bay both have one win in their last two gam

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions are set to kick off a Saturday triple-header in the NFL to further kickstart Week 16. Tom Brady and his club will travel up to Detroit to take on the Lions and hope to pick up a spot in the playoffs before they fly back to Florida. With a win or tie, the Buccaneers will clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2007. As for Detroit, they’re simply trying to play spoiler at this point, sitting in last place in the NFC North.

In this space, we’re going to dive into all the different betting angles that this game has to offer, including the spread and total. We’ll also dive into a few of our favorite player props and detail how the lines moved throughout the week. All NFL odds via William Hill Sportsbook.

How to watch

Date: Saturday, Dec. 26 | Time: 1 p.m. ET

Location: Ford Field (Detroit, MI)

TV: NFLN | Stream: fuboTV (try for free)

Follow: CBS Sports App

The last time the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made the playoffs, Tom Brady was leading the New England Patriots to an undefeated regular season and a third Super Bowl appearance in five seasons. Fast forward 13 years, and TB12 can lock up the first step to getting back to the big game for a 10th time, by helping the Bucs clinch a postseason berth.

To do so, all Tampa Bay needs to do is beat a lifeless Detroit Lions team in Week 16, that was just pounded in Tennessee. The Lions have lost four of their last five, and oddsmakers aren’t expecting this matchup to be particularly close.

A Pristine Matchup For Tampa Bay

No team has allowed more quarterback production than the Lions over the last four weeks. They’ve surrendered point totals of 41, 30, 31, and 46, generating pressure on opposing QB’s on just 20% of drop backs. That’s good news for Brady, who has shredded defenses this season when kept clean.

Brady leads the NFL in passing yards and ranks second in touchdown passes from a clean pocket. Keeping pressure away from him was key in the Bucs Week 15 victory over the Falcons, as Atlanta put the heat on Brady on just 6.7% of his second half pass attempt. The extra time and room in the pocket, allowed TB12 to generate five scoring drives and 31 second half points, erasing a 17–0 deficit along the way.

Not only will Brady have plenty of time to throw on Boxing Day, but his receivers should have no issue getting open. The Lions are down multiple players in their secondary, including starters Jeff Okudah and Desmond Trufant.

The Detroit Lions (5–9) are +10 underdogs heading into their matchup on Saturday, December 26, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9–5). The game’s over/under is set at 54.

The betting insights in this article reflect betting data from DraftKings as of December 22, 2020, 1:41 PM ET. See table below for current betting odds and CLICK HERE to bet at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Weather

This game will be played indoors at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, so weather will not impact play. Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions for other games with our NFL weather info.

Key Injuries

Buccaneers: Carlton Davis CB (Doubtful), Donovan Smith T (Probable), Ronald Jones II (Out), Jason Pierre-Paul LB (Questionable), Antoine Winfield Jr. S (Questionable), Carlton Davis CB (Doubtful).

Lions: Mike Ford CB (Questionable), Halapoulivaati Vaitai T (Questionable), Tyrell Crosby OL (Out), Frank Ragnow OL (Questionable), Jeff Okudah CB (Out), Da’Shawn Hand DL (Out), Kenny Golladay WR (Out), Desmond Trufant CB (Out), Trey Flowers DE (Out), Jamie Collins Sr. LB (Questionable), Jayron Kearse S (Questionable), Matt Prater K (Questionable), Matthew Stafford QB (Questionable).

Find our latest NFL injury reports.

Another year, another disappointing season for the Detroit Lions, who are coming off a 21-point loss to the Titans and have lost four of their last five games. While Matthew Stafford continues to give Detroit solid quarterback play, he hasn’t had much help around him. And reinforcements aren’t coming as Detroit will continue to be without its best receiver in Kenny Golladay and top blocker in Frank Ragnow.

Not only have the Lions been taking more Ls than Trump’s legal team, but they’re also getting crushed, losing by at least 14 points in five of their last six defeats.

While the Bucs may not be living up to the insanely high expectations of Tom Brady fanboys, they’ve still been very good in sporting a 9–5 record — with five of those wins coming by 14 or more points.

Tampa Bay has been strong on both sides of the ball, ranking fifth in the league in both offensive and defensive DVOA, per Football Outsiders. They’ve also played well on the road, posting an average scoring margin of plus-8.6 points per game.

With the Lions just 6–13 ATS in their last 19 games as an underdog — and once again wistfully looking to the future — take the chalk with the Bucs.

Over trends are abound for both teams, with the Lions 11–2 to the Over in their last 13 home games and the Bucs 5–0 O/U in their previous five contests on FieldTurf.

Former All-Pro Wide receiver Antonio Brown had a breakthrough game against Atlanta on Sunday, giving Brady another dangerous weapon in addition to Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Rob Gronkowski.

Tampa Bay is seventh in the league in scoring at 28.6 points per game and while they’ve been limited by the best stop-units in the league, like the Saints and the Rams, they’ve absolutely shredded bad defenses. And boy, is this Lions defense bad, surrendering a league-high 31.1 ppg, with that number ticking up to 33.7 ppg at home.

Although we think Tampa Bay’s defense will be able to beat up Stafford and contain the Lions attack, we still see this game going Over the total.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will make their second straight road trip — and last of the regular season — in Week 16, and in many respects the opponent waiting on the other end is similar to the one they just faced in Atlanta.

Like the Falcons, the Detroit Lions are playing for an interim head coach, with Darrell Bevell in charge since the November 28 dismissal of Matt Patricia. Like Atlanta, the Lions immediately won their first game for their new coach, though a rash of injuries have made it difficult to sustain that success since.

Perhaps the greatest similarity is under center. Matthew Stafford, like Matt Ryan, is a proven veteran who has put up big numbers his entire career and continues to do so in 2020. Both the Lions and Falcons rely on their seasoned passer because their rushing attacks have been among the league’s worst this year despite each team having a big name in the backfield (Todd Gurley last week, Adrian Peterson this week). Both teams have also been in a lot of high-scoring games as their defenses have struggled; that’s a bit more of a prominent issue in Detroit, though, as the Lions have allowed the most points in the NFL this season.

One more similarity between the Falcons and the Lions: Despite being officially eliminated from playoff contention, both clubs are clearly still fighting as we near the end of December. This was most obvious for Detroit in last week’s performance by Stafford, who played through a ribs injury that, early in the week seemed sure to keep him out against the Titans. He lasted into the fourth quarter and threw for 252 yards in a loss to the Titans. Why did he play, with little on the line for his team?

“Because I’m the quarterback of the Detroit Lions, and it was Sunday, and I got a bunch of teammates that work their ass off,” Stafford said. “They fight to be available and fight to get out there and play and try to help us win. If there’s any way I can play, I’m never gonna not (play). I feel like I owe it to those guys, I owe it to the game, I owe it to this organization, everybody. If I’m good enough to play, healthy enough to play, my ass is gonna be out there.”

Stafford also said he felt better after that game than he did at the beginning of the previous week, so the Buccaneers should expect to see the Lions’ ultra-tough quarterback on the field this coming Saturday. Now in his 12th season, Stafford is putting up numbers right in line with his career averages; in fact, his completion rate (64.2%), touchdown rate (4.7), interception rate (1.8%) and yards per attempt average (7.6) are all better than his career norms. Unfortunately, Stafford has been sacked 37 times, tied for the fourth most in the NFL this season, although he was not sacked in Detroit’s most recent contest. The Lions played that game without their Pro Bowl center, Frank Ragnow.

He has done all of this without much from his 2019 breakout star receiver, Kenny Golladay, who has only played in five games due to a hip injury. Veteran Marvin Jones has stepped in as the leading receiver, and his 10 catches last week against the Titans gives him 65 on the year, including seven touchdowns. Second-year tight end T.J. Hockenson, just named to the Pro Bowl, has been Stafford’s other main target, with 60 catches and six TDs, and Danny Amendola (40 catches, 559 yards) remains an effective weapon out of the slot.

Rookie running back D’Andre Swift, who has replaced Peterson as the starter when healthy, has also proved to be a good pass-catcher out of the backfield, with 39 receptions. He didn’t play much early and missed a few games due to injury in the second half but still has 422 rushing yards, averaging 4.6 per carry and scoring seven times. The Lions made Swift, the former Georgia star, the third pick of the second round and the second running back off the board after Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and it is looking like a good decision.