The Detroit Lions recovered well from their sound beating at the hands of the New England Patriots to deliver a Thanksgiving thumping of their own to the Chicago Bears. In that win, the dormant Detroit offense finally awoke to produce its best performance since Week 1.
Can that Lions attack reproduce the same results against a Tampa Bay Bucs team that’s been tough to blow out on the road? Read our complete preview below and find out.
For more Week 14 action, check out our complete Week 14 picks and predictions right here.
[sc:Football ]
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Detroit Lions Betting Preview and Prediction
Where: Ford Field, Detroit
When: Sunday, December 7, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+10) at Detroit Lions (-10); total 42.0 – see all NFL lines
Betting on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have lost so many games over the past couple of years that they’ve sort of forgotten how to win. The Bucs, now 2-10 on the season, have gone up 10-0 in their last two games against the Bears and Bengals, but conspired to squander both.
[sc:NFL240banner ]A silly 12 men on the field penalty late in the Bengals game was especially painful for the Bucs, as it took them out of range for a possible winning field goal.
As their record suggests, the Bucs are not good. Quarterback Josh McCown, in particular, had another particularly gruesome day statistically as he completed half of his passes for the second straight week and threw another pick, his third in two games. But you’ve got to hand it to Tampa Bay; it hasn’t gotten embarrassed too often.
The Bucs have been particularly feisty away from home, which is where their only two wins of the season have come from. And aside from their blowout at Atlanta in the first road game of the year, their other three losses have been by six, five and eight points.
But with all due respect to the Saints, Browns and Bengals, the Lions are the Bucs’ toughest road test to date. It’s a little difficult to figure out what exactly the Bucs and their 31st-ranked offense by DVOA (29th in both the pass and the run) can do against the Detroit’s suffocating D.
Tampa Bay’s defense isn’t completely awful, though. Since getting blitzed for 48 points by Baltimore in Week 6, the Bucs have allowed just over 18 points per game in their last six games. Detroit’s offense has been inconsistent enough this season to think that Tampa Bay can do what it does and keep this game closer than it should.
The Detroit Lions had a lot to be thankful for on Thanksgiving Thursday as their offense, which had been MIA for most of the year, finally showed up to power their 34-17 win over the Chicago Bears.
There were big games all around as quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Joique Bell set season-highs in yards (390 and 91, respectively) and scored two touchdowns each, while star wideout Calvin Johnson had a season-high 11 catches for 146 yards, the most since his 164-yard output in Week 1.
Meanwhile, after a shaky first quarter wherein the Detroit D gave up two Alshon Jeffery touchdowns, it allowed only three points in the ensuing three quarters. The Lions also stopped the Bears cold on the ground, limiting them to a pitiful 13 yards on eight carries.
If this is indeed the start of the Lions offense’s resurgence, then the rest of the league better watch out. They already have the best defense in the league by DVOA by a considerable margin (first against the run, second against the pass), and should their offense finally produce the production befitting their talents, they will be a tough team to stop.
An obvious caveat should be how bad the Bears’ defense has been against the pass, but the Bucs’ secondary has actually been worse. Through Week 12, Tampa Bay was ranked 27th in pass defense DVOA. If Detroit’s resurgent attack is indeed a fluke, the Bucs might not necessarily be the team to exploit it.
Aside from a shock loss to the Bills, the Lions have handled their business at home. They’re 5-1 (4-2 ATS) on home turf this year.
Writer’s Prediction
The Detroit D shuts down the Bucs as the Lions cruise to an easy win and cover at home.
