The New England Patriots (-6.5) and Detroit Lions are ready to go at it indoors at Ford Field. The Sunday Night Football matchup gets underway at 8:20 p.m. ET and NBC will televise the action.
New England Patriots vs. Detroit Lions Betting Preview
In this Sunday matchup, New England is projected as the favorite and is currently giving up 6.5 points. The Patriots are also receiving -260 moneyline odds while the Lions are +220. Should one team can get out in front early it will generate a nice in-game betting scenario. Oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 51 points.
The game’s O/U has been driven up after opening at 50. The original line has remained firm.
The Patriots are 1-1 against the spread (ATS) and have lost 0.3 units so far. The team’s posted an O/U record of 1-1. The Lions have been a disappointment to moneyline bettors this season, losing 3.8 units. The team is 1-1 ATS and has an O/U record of 2-0.
The Patriots are 1-1 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Lions are 0-2 SU.
The Pats are on the rebound after a 31-20 loss to Jacksonville in Week 2. The passing attack was on point as Tom Brady completed 24-of-35 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns. Sony Michel (just 34 yards on 10 rush attempts) led the ground attack in the loss while James White (seven receptions, 73 yards) and Phillip Dorsett (five catches, 44 yards) shared the receiving duties.
In Week 2, San Francisco knocked off this Detroit team by a score of 30-27. The Lions defense allowed the 49ers to kill the clock by running for 190 yards on 28 rush attempts, along with one rushing TD. Matt Breida was outstandingfor the 49ers, recording 138 rushing yards and a score on 11 attempts. For Detroit, Matthew Stafford completed 34-of-53 passes for 347 yards and three touchdowns. LeGarrette Blount (38 rushing yards on eight attempts) mounted the ground game in the defeat as Theo Riddick (nine receptions, 47 yards) and Golden Tate (seven catches, 109 yards) led the pass-catching attack.
New England has run the ball on 42.6 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Detroit has a rush percentage of 23.9 percent. The Patriots have produced 102 rush yards per game and have yet to record a score via handoffs this year. The Lions are totaling 69 rushing yards per game and have yet to record a rush TD.
If the results so far this season can translate to this game, then the Lions ought to own the edge along both the offensive and defensive fronts, as their offensive line has allowed just two sacks while the D-line has registered eight sacks. The Patriots O-line has given up four sacks and their defense has forced only three sacks.
The Pats offense has logged 256 yards per contest through the air overall and has five passing TD so far. The Lions have produced 324 pass yards per game and have four total pass score.
New England has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 136 yards and throw for 277 yards per game. The Detroit defense has allowed 202.0 yards per game to opposing passers and 179.5 yards per game to opposing runners. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to opponents, as the Pats have given up an ANY/A of 6.65 to opposing QBs, while the Lions are allowing an ANY/A of 6.75.
Offensively, Brady has amassed 234 passing yards this season. The signal-caller has completed 69 percent of his 35 attempts with two scores through the air and has yet to throw an interception. Brady’s got a 7.03 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 6.95 over the last two outings.
We expect the New England offense to mix it up in this one. James White, Rob Gronkowski and Phillip Dorsett have collectively accounted for 388 total yards and three touchdowns over the last couple of outings.
Matthew Stafford has completed 34-of-53 passes for 347 yards, three TDs and zero INTs for Detroit. His ANY/A stands at 7.07 for the year and 5.10 across his last two games.
Look for Stafford to attack all areas of the New England secondary. Kenny Golladay (89 receiving yards and one receiving TD this season), Golden Tate (109 receiving yards), and Marvin Jones Jr. (54 receiving yards, one TD) have collectively recorded 499 receiving yards and three TDs over the last couple of games, recording 21, 28, and 17 targets respectively over that stretch.
Free NFL Pick: Patriots vs. Lions
SU Winner – Patriots, ATS Winner – Lions, O/U – Over
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Betting Notes
When it comes to explosive plays, each team has produced zero pass plays of 40 yards or more. The Patriots have have made one pass play of 30+ yards while the Lions have created zero such plays.
The New England defense has allowed zero pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Detroit has given up one such play.
Both teams have produced zero rushing plays of 20 or more yards. The New England offense has recorded four running plays of 10+ yards while Detroit has accounted for zero such plays.
Both defenses have allowed one rushing plays of 20+ yards. The Patriots have given up six running plays of 10+ yards while the Lions have given up five such plays.
The Detroit defensive unit has notched eight sacks on the year while New England has three.
+++++
