Bucs vs Lions NFL Handicapping
The Detroit Lions are right in the thick of the postseason picture, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are beginning to make good on what was a terrible first half of the season. The two teams will meet on Sunday at Ford Field in Detroit.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-8) at Detroit Lions (6-4)
Date: Sunday, November 24, 2013
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Venue: Ford Field
City: Detroit, Michigan
O/U Odds: 48
Spread: Detroit -9
Money Line: Detroit -400, Tampa Bay +330
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Detroit’s last game was a tale of two halves, as the Lions fell to the Steelers in Pittsburgh, 37-27.
The Lions had the passing game clicking in the first half, with quarterback Matthew Stafford getting up over 300 yards in the first 30 minutes, and wide receiver Calvin Johnson brining in six balls for 179 yards and two scores by the break, but the team wasn’t able to replicate that success in the second half, getting held off the scoreboard all together.
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Stafford would end the day completing 19 of 46 passes for 362 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. The team also elected to bench running back Reggie Bush for portions of the game, but he was forced back into action when Joique Bell was knocked out with an injury.
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The team’s defense had plenty of trouble with the Steeler offense. They surrendered what was likely Ben Roethlisberger’s best game of the season, allowing him to throw for 367 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. The Lions continue to put an emphasis on taking away opposing ground games, holding the Steeler rushing attack to just 1.5 yards per attempt.
That stout rush defense should be trouble for Tampa Bay, but the team didn’t have any trouble in their last game against a porous Atlanta defense, winning 41-28.
The game wasn’t as close as the final score indicates, with the game pretty well out of hand by the break. Running back Bobby Rainey played a big part in that, carrying the ball 30 times for 163 yards and two scores, adding two receptions for four yards and a third score.
Quarterback Mike Glennon was ultra-efficient passing the football, completing 20 of 23 passes for 231 yards and two scores.
His favorite target was big wide receiver Vincent Jackson, who brought in 10 balls for 165 yards and a score.
The Tampa Bay defenses’ numbers at the end of the game didn’t look great as Atlanta was able to move the ball against a softer defense in the second half. The key takeaway is that the Buccaneer defense limited the Falcons to six points in the first half.
The Lions have looked good this season, but they simply aren’t good at building margins and winning games convincingly. As tempting as it is to take the Lions in a game that could be a blowout, they simply aren’t likely to pull it off.
The Buccaneers are 17-4 ATS in their last 21 road games versus opponents with a winning home record.
The play: Tampa Bay +9
