There is no better way to determine whether the Detroit Lions are true NFL wagering contenders than pitting them against, as starting quarterback Matt Stafford said, “defending Super Bowl runner-ups.” Uh, Matt, that’s not like, you know, a title that you can defend, but we get the idea. The Atlanta Falcons are the measuring stick of the NFC, while the Cardinals and, even with Odell Beckham, the Giants have barely registered.
- Date: Sunday, 24th September
- Time: 1:05 PM
- Venue: Ford Field
Sportsbook Odds for Fans Who Bet on NFL Games Online:
Falcons -3 (EV) 50 (-110)
Lions +3 (-120) 50 (-110)
Bada-boom, realest guys in the room! How you doin’?
Stafford has, so far, been worth his contract throwing 44-for-62 for 414 yards with six TDs and just one pick.
It’s the Lions No. 7-ranked defense, however, that has come through big time, picking the Cards on three occasions and limiting them to 2½ yards per carry, and destroying the Giants’ o-line with eight quarterback hits and five sacks. “We for real,” cornerback Darius Slay, who leads the team with eight tackles, said via ESPN. “We ain’t no fake. We’re for real.” Detroit’s adroit handling of both ends of the ball makes this one, as evinced by the three-point spread, a close one. The Lions would, at this point, be, against almost any other team, favorites, but they do have home-field advantage, where they are won seven and covered in six of their last eight games. And even of Detroit fails to get the straight-up win, they could still conceivably cover the NFL wagering spread, even though they have failed to do so in five of their last six times hosting the Falcons.
Mens Sanu in corpore Sanu
The Falcons became, by virtue of their 34-23 win over the Packers on Sunday, only the fourth Super Bowl losing team to start the following season 2-0. Let’s drink to that! Not you, though, Steve Sarkisian. The usual suspects – Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, and Devonta Freeman – did most of the offensive damage, though wide receiver Mohamed Sanu added a nice touch with 85 yards of his own. And he’s a role model, too!
This definitely put a smile on my face. ☺️ the little things. pic.twitter.com/OFKpwcho5H
— Mohamed Sanu Sr. (@Mo_12_Sanu) April 22, 2017
On the other end of the ball, cornerback Desmond Trufant was named NFC defensive player of the week, thanks on no small part to stalking and harassing Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers. Two activities that, or so we’re told, get you in trouble in real life, but earn you awards in the NFL. Trufant intercepted a pass, which resulted points before halftime, and then returned a fumble for a TD in the third quarter. Sunday’s game might, though both Falcons and Lions are high scorers, end up coming down to the former’s offense versus the latter’s defense. Plus, these two tend to go under the NFL wagering total, such as in six of their last seven encounters as well as Atlanta’s last five visits to Detroit.