The Philadelphia Eagles (4-6) head to play the Detroit Lions (3-7) at Ford Field this week. Detroit has won three of its last five, showing signs of life in what has been a relatively disappointing season. The game will air Thursday, Nov 26 at 12:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
In last week’s game, Detroit defeated the Raiders 18-13. Matthew Stafford had a solid performance through the air in the victory, connecting on 22 of 35 pass attempts for 282 yards. Calvin Johnson was a factor as well, totaling 88 yards on five catches. Philadelphia is hoping for a different outcome after losing big against the Buccaneers 45-17. Brent Celek had a quality performance for the Eagles, grabbing seven receptions for 79 yards.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the Lions-Eagles game this week is sitting at 46 points, and Philadelphia is a slim one-point favorite.
Sitting at 3-7 for both Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS), the Lions will look to improve heading into Week 12. In their five most recent matchups, the Lions went 3-2 SU and 2-3 ATS. Detroit is averaging 93.4 rushing yards in its last five games, an improvement over its season average of 71.2. In the first quarter of home games, Detroit doesn’t waste time reaching the end zone, putting up 6.8 points. Detroit ranks fifth in the league for average time of possession per home game. If they match their usual 33:14 minutes of offense in this game, the Lions shouldn’t have trouble staying in control.
Shifting to the opposition, the Eagles head into Week 12 with records of 4-6 for both ATS and SU. Over their last five games, the Eagles have a SU and ATS record of 2-3. Offensively, they may score often against the Lions, who are one of the worst home scoring defenses in the league at 28.2 points per game. Philadelphia has performed well against defenses over the past five games, putting up an average of 410.4 total yards during that time. Shifting to the other side of the ball, it might be tough for the Lions to keep up with Philadelphia’s defense in a few areas. Philadelphia, allowing 10.1 yards per pass, has a good chance of shutting down its competitor’s passing game. The Philadelphia defense will take advantage of every opportunity the Lions give it. The Eagles generate 2.1 turnovers per game, third in the league. The Eagles will look to score against a Detroit defense that allows the most points on average (10.8 points) in the second quarter. When Philadelphia’s offense hits the field, they tend to act fast. With an average of 71, the team ranks second in the league for number of plays per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Phi, ATS Winner – Phi, O/U – Under
Notes
Detroit is 4-10 ATS in its last 14 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit’s last 6 games.
Detroit is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games.
Detroit is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit’s last 5 games when playing Philadelphia.
Detroit is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Philadelphia.
Philadelphia is 3-1 SU when leading at the start of the fourth quarter this season. Detroit is 2-1 SU when carrying a lead into the fourth quarter.
Detroit is 2-4 SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, and winless (0-3 SU) when losing the turnover battle.
Philadelphia has drawn an average of 9.0 penalties on opponents this season. Detroit is only 1-2 SU when penalized at least nine times in a game.
According to season yardage rankings, Philadelphia is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its 11th-ranked rushing attack will face the 24th-ranked run defense of Detroit, while its 28th-ranked run defense will look to contain the last-ranked rushing game of the Lions.
