The Detroit Lions (1-6) travel to meet the Kansas City Chiefs (2-5) this week in a clash between two teams who are struggling. The NFL’s fifth-leading passer, Matthew Stafford (1,866 yards, 12 TDs), will be on display in this contest. It starts at 9:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, Nov 1 and can be seen on FOX.
Kansas City beat the Steelers 23-13 last week. Charcandrick West had an outstanding performance on the ground in the win, gaining 110 yards and one TD on 22 carries. Detroit didn’t have the same success as Kansas City, getting beat by the Vikings 28-19. Eric Ebron had a big game for the Lions, totaling five catches for 89 yards and one TD. Matthew Stafford had a big game as well, totaling 256 yards and two TDs through the air.
Kansas City is a three-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 47 points.
The Chiefs enter the game with a current record of 2-5 Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS) this season. Over their last five games, the Chiefs have records of 1-4 for both SU and ATS. Look for Kansas City to take advantage of an inferior Detroit run defense, which ranks 26th in the league with 134.7 rushing yards allowed per road game. Averaging 18 points per road game, the Lions might struggle against the Kansas City defense. The Lions may have a difficult time running against the Chiefs. The Lions average 68.1 yards per game on the ground, making them the least-effective running team in the NFL. Detroit’s defense has a tendency to allow scores heading into halftime. The Lions allow an average of 13 points in the second quarter, more than any other team in the league. Kansas City’s special teams unit is one of its strengths. They earn 98.9 return yards per game, placing second in the NFL.
As for their opponent, the Lions have 1-6 SU and ATS records this season. In the previous five games, Detroit has a record of 1-4 for both SU and ATS as well. The Chiefs may be catching the Lions at the wrong time. They have found their groove throwing the ball, averaging 286.4 passing yards during the past five games. Switching gears to the Detroit defense, it has some favorable matchups that it may be able to take advantage of as well. The pass rushers for the Lions could have a good game this week against the Chiefs, who rank 29th in the league with an average of 3.6 sacks allowed per game. The Chiefs defense seems to get off to a poor start. The Lions can take an early advantage against Kansas City and its average of 6.1 first-quarter points allowed.
Predictions: SU Winner – KC, ATS Winner – Det, O/U – Over
Notes
Kansas City is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games.
Kansas City is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Kansas City’s last 5 games when playing Detroit.
Kansas City is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Detroit.
Detroit is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Kansas City.
Detroit is 1-1 SU when leading at the start of the fourth quarter this season. Kansas City is 2-1 SU when leading after three quarters.
Kansas City is winless (0-3 SU) in games where it wins the turnover battle, and an even 2-2 SU when losing the turnover battle.
Kansas City is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its 18th-ranked rushing attack will face the 24th-ranked run defense of Detroit, while its 11th-ranked rush defense will look to contain the bottom-ranked run game of the Lions.