Detroit Lions (5-9) vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-5)
Game Info: Saturday, December 26, 2020 at 1:00 pm (Ford Field)
Betting Odds: Detroit Lions +7.5 -- Over/Under: 35.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will travel to Ford Field to take on the Detroit Lions this Saturday afternoon in NFL action.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won their 2nd straight game and improved to 9-5 on the season after defeating the Atlanta Falcons, 31-27, this past Sunday. Tampa Bay struggled early against the Falcons and trailed Atlanta by a 24-7 margin late in the 3rd quarter, however, Tom Brady and the offense was outstanding down the stretch and was able to fight back for the come from behind victory after a 46-yard TD reception by Antonio Brown gave Tampa Bay the lead for good with 6:19 left in the game. Tampa Bay outgained Atlanta by a 416-369 margin and didn’t commit a turnover in the victory. Leading the way for the Buccaneers was QB Tom Brady who completed 31 of 45 passes for 390 yards & 2 TD’s.
On the season, Tampa Bay is averaging 28.6 ppg on 371.4 total yards per game (277.6 passing yds/g; 93.9 rushing yds/g). Offensively, Tampa Bay has been led by QB Tom Brady who has completed 65.1% of his passes for 3,886 yards (277.8 yds/g), 32 TD, & 11 INT. The top receiving threats for the Buccaneers have been Mike Evans (57 rec, 779 yards, 11 TD), Chris Godwin (55 rec, 623 yards, 4 TD), Rob Gronkowski (41 rec, 536 yards, 5 TD), and Antonio Brown (30 rec, 310 yards, TD).
Defensively, Tampa Bay is holding their opponents to an average of 22.9 ppg on 355.9 total yards per game (278.1 passing yds/g; 77.8 rushing yds/g).
The Detroit Lions lost their 2nd straight game and dropped to 5-9 on the season after being defeated by the Tennessee Titans, 46-25, this past Sunday. Detroit struggled with turnovers and could not fight back after back-to-back TD’s early in the 4th quarter gave Tennessee a 39-18 lead with just 9:00 minutes left in the game. Detroit was outgained by Detroit by a 463-430 margin and lost the turnover battle by a 3-0 margin in the loss. Leading the way for the Lions was WR Marvin Jones Jr. who had 10 receptions for 112 yards, & 1 TD.
On the season, Detroit is averaging 23.9 ppg on 374.9 total yards per game (282.3 passing yds/g; 92.6 rushing yds/g). Offensively, Detroit has been led by Matthew Stafford who has completed 64.2% of his passes for 3,774 yards (276.9 yds/g), 23 TD, & 9 INT. The top receiving threats for the Lions have been Marvin Jones Jr. (65 rec, 779 yards, 7 TD), T.J. Hockenson (60 rec, 675 yards, 6 TD), Danny Amendola (40 rec, 559 yards) & Kenny Golladay (20 rec, 338 yards, 2 TD). Golladay has missed his last 7 games due to injury and should at best be considered questionable for this matchup.
Defensively, Detroit is allowing their opponents to average 31.1 ppg on 412.8 total yards per game (275.5 passing yds/g; 137.3 rushing yds/g).
The Buccaneers are 10-3-2 ATS in their last 15 games in December, however, are just 1-9-1 ATS in their last 11 Saturday games. The Lions are 8-17 ATS in their last 25 games overall and 6-13 ATS in their last 19 games as an underdog.
Tampa Bay has a been a bit inconsistent at times, however, when the offense has clicked like it did in the 2nd half against Atlanta, we can see how dangerous this Buccaneers team can be. Detroit has lost 4 of their last 5 games while the defense ranks dead last in the NFL in points allowed and as these are the type of teams that Tampa Bay had no trouble defeating this season, I’m taking Tampa Bay to win this one by double-digits and cover this spread. Good Luck!
Brett’s Pick Tampa Bay Buccaneers -7.5
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
Mitch's Take...
