The Detroit Lions (1-7) face off against the Green Bay Packers (6-2) at Lambeau Field this week in a clash between NFC North rivals. Though Green Bay had their fair share of success this season, the team has struggled lately, losing one of its last three. The game starts at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov 15 and can be seen on FOX.
After splitting their two regular season meetings last year, the division rivals will face off for the first time this season. Clay Matthews led the way for the Packers defense in the last game against the Lions, registering three tackles and one sack. DeAndre Levy led the way for the Detroit defense, totaling eight tackles.
The Packers are a heavy 11-point favorite and the Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is 48 points.
The Packers enter the game with records of 6-2 Straight Up (SU) and 5-3 Against The Spread (ATS) this season. In the past five games, Green Bay is 3-2 SU and 2-3 ATS. They average 29 points per game and will look to capitalize against the Detroit defense. The Lions have the 27th-ranked road scoring defense in the NFL, giving up 29.2 points per game. The Packers run game will attempt to benefit from a poor rush defense. The Lions currently rank 30th in the NFL with 133.6 rushing yards allowed per game. Averaging 16 points per road game, the Lions might struggle against the Green Bay defense. Green Bay has a suffocating pass defense, allowing a completion percentage of 57.7%. The Packers defense should be ready for Detroit, who leads the league with 2.5 turnovers committed per game. The Packers make it hard on their opponents early. In the first 15 minutes of home games, Green Bay averages 13 points, more than any other team in the league.
As for their opponent, the Lions have a record of 1-7 for both ATS and SU. In the previous five games, Detroit has a record of 1-4 for both SU and ATS. Detroit has bolstered its run game during the past five games. The Lions eclipsed their season average of 69.8 rushing yards per game with an average of 84.6 during that period. Switching gears to the Detroit defense, there are certain areas where it measures up well against the Packers. When Detroit’s defensive front gets going, it is basically unstoppable. This year, the Lions average three sacks per road game, good enough for fifth in the league. Green Bay will have its work cut out for it when Detroit comes to returning the ball. The Lions average the second-most return yards when playing on the road with 123.
Predictions: SU Winner – GB, ATS Winner – GB, O/U – Under
Notes
Green Bay is 18-5 SU in its last 23 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Green Bay’s last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Green Bay’s last 5 games at home.
Green Bay is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Green Bay is 16-3 SU in its last 19 games when playing Detroit.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Green Bay’s last 6 games when playing Detroit.
Green Bay is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Detroit.
Detroit is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Green Bay.
Detroit is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Green Bay.
Detroit is 1-1 SU when leading at the start of the fourth quarter this season. Green Bay is 5-0 SU when leading at the end of the third quarter.
This season, Green Bay is 6-1 SU in games where it loses the turnover battle.
Since the beginning of last season, Green Bay is 6-1 SU against NFC North opponents, while Detroit is 6-3 SU against division foes.
Green Bay is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its 13th-ranked rushing attack will face the 30th-ranked run defense of Detroit, while its 28th-ranked run defense will look to contain the bottom-ranked rushing game of the Lions.
