DETROIT LIONS @ NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 
Vegas Line: Lions + 8.5
Rob’s Line: Lions + 8.5
What was shaping up to be a cracking looking contest may now not prove to be. Detroit are missing (or are likely to be) a number of key players and that’s highlighted by the spread. I’ll start with the obvious absence, that of defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. The NFL this week rejected his appeal of the two game ban handed to him for his kick at the Packers’ Evan Dietrich-Smith on Thanksgiving. More like thanks for giving us nothing up front defensively this week.
Perhaps worse than that is Detroit’s secondary. With N’Awlins quarterback Drew Brees on pace to surpass Dan Marino’s 1984 record of 5,084 passing yards, the last thing any team needs is a banged up secondary and yet that’s exactly what’s happened to the Lions. Safety Louis Delmas is definitely out while cornerbacks Chris Houston and Brandon McDonald look unlikely to suit up. Should that be the case, Brees will be able to throw on Detroit at will and we could be looking at a blowout. Aside from having the league’s most potent pass attack (statistically), New Orleans can also call upon their eighth ranked running game and the triple headed monster that is Mark Ingram, Pierre Thomas and Darren Sproles. Not one of them has 500 yards this season, but it matters not as they’re merely the supporting cast to the havoc Brees is able to wreak.
Detroit is at least healthy on offense, bar a lingering finger injury to quarterback Matthew Stafford that’s taking time to heal. Regardless, he won’t miss any playing time which is something at least. With the Saints surely coming out of the blocks firing, especially at home, the Lions could see themselves looking at a deficit early and you get the impression that Stafford will need to do everything in his power simply to keep up with Brees. He’s thrown nine interceptions in his last three games and can’t afford to keep up that three per game average this week.
I’m half expecting a similar scoreline to last week’s in the Superdome when the Saints thumped the Giants 49-24 and I fully expect New Orleans to cover the spread.
http://www.sportingopinions.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment