Bet On NFL Football – Detroit Lions vs Tampa Bay Bucs Gambling Preview
There certainly hasn’t been this much buzz about the Detroit Lions in a while. This team was a big winner at the book last season even though they finished 6-10. Now many believe they can finish at .500 or better and challenge for a Wild Card out of the NFC North.
Detroit Lions vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Raymond James Stadium – Tampa, Florida
Sunday September 11 – 1:00PM
Moneyline: Tampa -140, Detroit +120
Spread (ATS): Pick
Over/Under: 41
Odds courtesy of 5Dimes
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Detroit
Health is going to be a critical factor. Last year they had key injuries and it prevented them from reaching their potential. This is an exciting team to watch.
On offense the Lions have a very promising attack. Quarterback Matt Stafford is healthy and for now so is running back Jahvid Best. Unfortunately his running mate, rookie Mikel LeShoure was lost for the season, making depth a concern at RB. At receiver there may not be one better Calvin Johnson. He is an absolute monster at 6’5” and makes lots of difficult catches. Their tight ends are good too, especially Brandon Pettigrew who is also a matchup nightmare.
It is on defense where the Lions have finally gotten to a point where they can threaten the better teams in the league. Ndamakong Suh was the real deal and then some as a rookie and he has help along the line. The linebackers don’t have much sizzle but Stephen Tulloch was the leading tackler for the Titans last year. The secondary also is a bit nondescript but if the guys up front apply pressure they won’t have to cover as long this year. There has been lots of buzz building and now it is time to see if the steak matches the sizzle.
Tampa Bay
Tampa is also a team on the rise, one that won 10 games last year in the tough NFC South. One of the games they lost was in week 15 to the Lions, in overtime, at home – so you can bet they will be looking for a little revenge to start the season. Many are predicting a regression for the Bucs due to their schedule and tough division but I don’t see them falling far. In fact I think they will be in the hunt until the end led by several hungry, young players. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
When the Bucs selected QB Josh Freeman a couple of years ago I just didn’t see it, but he has answered the test when challenged throughout his young career. He is joined in the backfield by LeGarrette Blount who is an absolute beast – literally. Again this is another guy some doubted but all he did was average better than 5 yards per carry as a rookie. Tampa also has a nice set of targets who will challenge a Detroit secondary that isn’t great. The key is keeping Freeman upright – he was sacked 3 times last year.
The Bucs have the better defense in this matchup for sure. They may not have a player as dominant as Suh but they are much better than than Detroit in the secondary and the whole defense is filled with young, active players. They loaded up on the d-line in the draft and I think they made some good selections. It is a shame that one of these teams will lose this opener setting off a stream of talk about not meeting expectations this season. These are two good teams that are getting better.
Trends:
Over is 9-3-1 in DET last 13 games overall.
Over is 6-2-1 in DET last 9 vs. NFC.
DET are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games in Week 1.
TB are 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
TB are 5-16 ATS in their last 21 home games.
Under is 12-4 in TB last 16 games in Week 1.
DET are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 meetings.
Underdog is 6-2 ATS in their last 8 meetings.
ATS Pick: Detroit PK
Over/Under Pick: Over
Score Prediction: Detroit 23 – Tampa 20
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