Lions vs Packers NFL Handicapping
The Detroit Lions made a little history a couple weeks ago when they snapped a 21-game losing streak in Washington. Now Jim Schwartz’s team looks to snap another losing streak when they travel to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers.
Detroit Lions (3-1) at Green Bay Packers (1-2)
Date: Sunday, October 6, 2013
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Venue: Lambeau Field
City: Green Bay, Wisconsin
O/U Odds: 53.5
Spread: Green Bay -7
Money Line: Green Bay -325, Detroit +270
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The Packers have won 22 consecutive home games against the Lions, and 14 of the last 15 meetings between the teams.
Don’t call them a rushing juggernaut just yet, but the Packers have put forth 100-yard rushers in back-to-back contests after not having a 100-yard rusher in 44 consecutive regular season games. James Starks accomplished the feat two weeks ago, and Johnathan Franklin did it last week against Cincinnati.
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The team’s backfield will look different this week with the expected return of rookie Eddie Lacy, who comes back after suffering a concussion in Week 2. All kidding aside, the offense still runs through Aaron Rodgers, who will be looking for a bounce back performance after throwing for just 244 yards and one score with a pair of picks against the Bengals in Week 3.
The Packer defense will look a little different this week, as they’re expected to be without star linebacker Clay Matthews who is dealing with a hamstring injury, but they will get back safety Morgan Burnett, but not his dreadlocks – he got a haircut. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The Detroit offense has been rolling along, putting up the third most points in all of football through four weeks, behind only Denver and Chicago. Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson deserve a lot of the credit for that, but one of the most underrated offseason acquisitions in recent memory has led to a hug boost to the team’s offense.
Getting Reggie Bush in space has been a huge priority for the Lions, and he’s been looking like the old Reggie Bush, the one that dominated at USC.
Bush turned 18 carries into 139 yards and a score against an always stout Chicago defense last week. With Nate Burleson down, Stafford leaned a little more heavily on Brandon Pettigrew in that game, and Pettigrew responded by hauling in all seven of his targets for 54 yards.
As for the team’s defense, they’ve looked like a new unit. After a disappointing 2012 season, the pass defense has tightened up, helped largely by a healthy Louis Delmas, and a fierce pass rush led by Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley. The unit did a great job of getting off the field last week, holding Chicago to just one third down conversion on 13 attempts.
Detroit can keep this game with the Packers competitive, even if they haven’t been able to break through with a win, and have great backdoor potential against a Packer defense that has struggled mightily to get stops.
The Lions are 4-0 ATS in their last four games played in the month of October.
The play: Detroit +7
