The Denver Broncos (2-0) head to play the Detroit Lions (0-2) at Ford Field this week. Kickoff is at 8:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sep 27 and will air on NBC.
In last week’s game, Detroit fell to Minnesota 26-16. Eric Ebron had a quality performance in the loss, grabbing five receptions for 43 yards. Calvin Johnson chipped in with 83 yards on 10 catches. Denver is looking to repeat last week when it defeated Kansas City 31-24. Emmanuel Sanders had a solid performance for the Broncos, pulling in eight receptions for 87 yards. Demaryius Thomas had a great game as well, adding 116 yards on eight catches.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the Lions-Broncos game this week is currently not available and Denver is a slim two-point favorite.
The Lions have performed below expectations so far this year. It’s still early, but a 0-2 record Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS) could be improved. Detroit’s defensive backs have the upper hand this week against the Broncos, who are last in the league with a yards per pass average of 7.8. In the second quarter, Detroit is solid, putting up 12 points during the second frame. Detroit’s special teams unit has contributed to a great field positioning, averaging a league-best 128 return yards per game.
Shifting to the opposition, the Broncos are a perfect 2-0 SU and ATS so far this season. Opponents have struggled against Denver’s top-ranked pass defense. It averages 135 yards per game through the air against this menacing bunch. Avoiding turnovers will be essential for the Lions against the Broncos defense, which ranks second in the league in turnovers with 3.5 per game. When Denver’s offense hits the field, they tend to act fast. With an average of 69.5, the team ranks fifth in the league for number of plays per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Den, ATS Winner – Den
Notes
Detroit is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games.
Detroit is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 16 of Detroit’s last 22 games.
Denver is 1-0 SU when leading at the half this season. Detroit is 0-1 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
The Detroit passing attack is ranked only 11th in the league, while the Denver pass defense is ranked first. The Broncos’ passing game is ranked just 26th, compared to the 24th-ranked pass defense of the Lions.
Denver has allowed 18.5 points per game this year, which is ranked only 22nd in the league. Detroit has put up 22.0 points per game this year and is ranked 19th overall.
