Let’s be honest: this Monday night showcase on tap isn’t the most attractive of matchups this late into the season. Yes, the New Orleans Saints are still alive in the playoff hunt, but barely. Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions’ late season surge was stifled by back-to-back losses from the previous weeks, and the team has now been eliminated for postseason contention.
Nevertheless, we should still relish the fact that there are only a few Monday Night Football games on the schedule, and any football game this season has the possibility to surprise with wild finishes and outstanding individual performances. This Detroit vs. New Orleans clash should be no different.
Lets’ run down this compelling matchup in greater detail below, along with some betting trends to consider before putting your money down on this game at the bookies. Afterwards, check out our complete preview for Week 15 as well as the experts’ picks for the week to be on top of all the smash-mouth NFL betting action to come.
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Detroit Lions vs. New Orleans Saints
Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans
When: Monday, December 21, 8:30 PM ET
Line: Detroit Lions (+3) at New Orleans Saints (-3); total: 51.5 – view all NFL lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Game Preview
[sc:NFL240banner ]With the 21-14 loss last week to the Rams, the Detroit Lions (4-9) have been eliminated from postseason contention. That defeat has officially placed head coach Jim Caldwell’s job on life support after his team’s late season surge was upended by a Hail Mary walk-off victory by the Packers in Week 13.
Then again, Detroit’s actually been competitive these past few weeks in general. Quarterback Matt Stafford has nine touchdowns to just one interception over the past three games, with standout wide receiver Calvin Johnson on the receiving end of four of those TDs.
With the passing game clicking, the Lions could very well run up a ton of yardage against the Saints and the 29th-worst passing defense in the league, which has also allowed an NFL-high 36 passing touchdowns to the opposition this season. However, Johnson (ankle) is listed as questionable for Monday night’s game, so Detroit’s aerial assault may not be as potent in this upcoming contest.
Good thing that – and in spite of still averaging just 3.66 yards per carry this season – the Lions’ running game has improved significantly of late. The Lions have four-straight 100-yard rushing efforts as a team entering Monday night’s bout, and will be itching to scorch New Orleans’ league-worst run defense (131.6 rushing yard allowed per game).
On the other hand, the New Orleans Saints (5-8) have still not given up on making it to the postseason, as evident from their gritty 24-17 win over the Buccaneers in Tampa last week. In fact, New Orleans won that contest in an unlikely fashion: with defense.
Widely considered as the team with the worst overall defense in the NFL, the Saints actually managed to contain Jameis Winston and the then-red-hot Bucs to just 176 passing yards on the day, and under 300 yards of offense overall. When you compare that to the average of 463 total yards allowed in the four weeks prior to that game, maybe New Orleans can play some semblance of a D this late into the season after all.
But even though that relatively solid defensive showing might still be regarded as a mere aberration, at least New Orleans’ true bread-and-butter – its offense – has found its mojo once again. Over the past two games, the Saints put up a total of 62 points, and that was even with stud running back Mark ingram (shoulder) out for Sunday’s win over Tampa Bay.
In Ingram’s place, backup Tim Hightower, who has not had an NFL start since the 2011 season, filled in nicely for the team’s ground attack. Hightower finished with 85 rushing yards and a touchdown against the Bucs.
Should the running game not repeat its sound showing from last week, quarterback Drew Brees must get tight end Benjamin Watson involved in the passing game. Here’s quite a statistic on Watson: in games where he has caught five or more passes, the Saints are 3-1. On the flipside, the team is 2-7 in those contests where he was basically a non-factor through the air.
Where to Watch
Each Monday Night Football game is broadcasted live on ESPN. But if you prefer to have complete access to any and all NFL games this season, a better option would be to subscribe to NFL’s Game Pass. With several packages to choose from, you can optimize your football viewing experience the way you like it for a reasonable cost. Simply head on over here to know more about NFL Game Pass now.
Betting Trends on the Detroit Lions
The Lions have lost six of their last seven road games, but did manage to go 3-4 against the spread during that stretch.
The total has gone under in four of Detroit’s last five road games.
The Lions are 1-for-7 SU/ATS in games where they were underdogs by four points or less.
Detroit has won its past three games against NFC South opponents, but only managed to cover the spread on one of those occasions.
The team managed to cover its spread just once over its last 10 games that were played in the month of December.
Betting Trends on the New Orleans Saints
The Saints are 4-1 in their last five contests against Detroit, and an even better 5-0 against the spread.
The team is also a perfect 3-for-3 SU/ATS in its most recent home starts against the Lions.
New Orleans managed to cover the spread in all 10 of their past contests against NFC North opponents in spite of losing two of those games straight-up.
The Saints are 5-2 straight-up and 4-2-1 ATS over the last seven games where they were favored by four points or less.
The total has gone under in four of New Orleans’ last five games played in the month of December.
Hot Wager
Seeing as how the Lions have basically struggled on the road with all odds and situations considered, a wise decision here would be to take the Saints at (-3). The trends above also indicate that both Detroit and New Orleans – in spite of their seemingly prolific offenses on paper – will not be able to go over the relatively high mark of 51.5 for this contest.
Writer’s Prediction
The Saints keep their faint postseason hopes alive for the time being, 26-19.
Create a betting account now to get your bets in before this Monday Night Football showcase, and all the other NFL games on tap this season.
