The Detroit Lions host the Chicago Bears. The Lions and Da Bears. Favorite and underdog. Respectively. So sayeth the NFL betting spread. If it were up the Lions, it would be the other way around though. After all, “[the Lions] use [adversity] more as a friend than a foe.” No kidding. Detroit leads the league with 20 wins on drives in the fourth quarter or overtime. Including a 24-21 win over the Bucs on Sunday. In which they went 49 yards to set up Matt Prater’s 46-yard game-winning field goal. The win has the Lions’ waning playoff hopes waxing.
The Lions and Da Bears divisional clash
- Date: Saturday, 16th December 2017
- Time: 4:35 PM
- Venue: Ford Field
Sportsbook NFL odds:
Bears +5½ (-110) 44 (-115)
Lions -5½ (-110) 44 (-105)
Detroit rarely covers in these rare Saturday games
The Lions have to ‘win out,’ as people in the American football betting biz say, if they want to see their name on NFL playoff bets. Detroit’s best case scenario for winning their three remaining games, starting with the Bears, is to protect Matt Stafford. Give him the protection that only a Trojan can afford. A Trojan horse, that is. The Bucs didn’t sack Stafford once. Which must have come as a big surprise to him. He was sacked 13 times in the previous four games, and at least once in every game of the season. Stafford went 36 of 44 against Tampa Bay. His 81.8% completion rate tied for the third-best by a QB with at least 44 passes in a game.
36/44 passing for 381 yards and a TD in Sunday's win❗️
RT for a Matthew Stafford @FedEx #AirAndGround vote AND a #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/tZbFKY4zm9
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 12, 2017
The Lions snapped their second SU and ATS losing streak of two or more games this season. The Lions are 3-0-1 ATS playing a team with a losing record but 2-5 ATS in their last seven Saturday games. They are 7-19-1 ATS in the last 27 games in December and 1-4 against the NFL betting spread in the last five home games.
Can the Bears start a SU, ATS streak
The Bears took advantage of an undermanned Bengals defense on Sunday. Rookie QB Mitchell Trubisky threw for a touchdown and ran for another. Jordan Howard ran for 147 yards and a couple of TDs to lead Chicago to a 33-7 win. Tarik Cohen ran for 80 yards, and Kendall Wright caught 10 passes for 107 yards — the first Chicago receiver to top 100 yards this season. The Bears gained a season-best 482 yards against the Bengals. Was it a fluke? After all, cornerbacks Adam “Pacman” Jones and Dre Kirkpatrick and linebackers Vontaze Burfict and Nick Vigil were all sidelined. Additionally, receiver A.J. Green admitted the Bengals non-performance was “embarrassing.”
Like the Lions, the Bears ended a multiple game SU and ATS streak. And apparently, last week’s formula won’t be enough when the Lions and Da Bears clash. The Bears are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games in December and 7-3-1 ATS playing a team with a winning record. they are 4-10 ATS in the last 14 road games and 1-3-1 against the NFL betting spread in their last five playing NFC North teams.