Detroit Lions vs Atlanta Falcons Betting Analysis and Predictions
Detroit Lions play host to Atlanta Falcons at Ford Field on Friday at 6 p.m. Kickoff will be broadcast on NFL Network. The game will pit a pair of second-year head coaches, Detroit's Dan Campbell and Atlanta's Arthur Smith, against one another.
Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons are playing each other in a game that doesn't count. Detroit finished last season with a 3-13-1 record in the NFC North division. Atlanta finished 7-10 for a third place finish in NFC South.
The Detroit Lions were terrible on the defensive side last season. They ranked second-to-last in terms of points allowed and fourth in yards given up. The team drafted first-round edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson and cornerback Jeff Okudah. Okadah tore his Achilles tendon in the team's regular season opener last fall.
Detroit returns quarterback Jared Goff, who was acquired from Los Angeles in a trade for Matthew Stafford. The team threw the sixth-most passes in the league last year. Their rushing game wasn't the strongest despite having two 600-yard runners in D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams. Amon-Ra St. Brown, DJ Chark, and Jameson Williams are the starters outside.
Matt Ryan was traded to Indianapolis. The team pursued Deshaun Watson. Neither the offense nor the defense impressed last season. Kyle Pitts paced the pass-catchers with 1,026 receiving yards. Cordarrelle Patterson ran for the most yards on the team (618).
Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder are competing for the starting job at signal-caller. Drake London, a first-round pick from USC, will be pulling in passes.
The Lions have a number of players who are ruled out. Atlanta is relatively healthy, with Bryan Edwards and Deion Jones the only two players with injuries.
The Lions are a +100 underdog against the Falcons. The total is 35.5 points. The over and the under are both -110.
Detroit Lions vs. Atlanta Falcons is one of the most intriguing games on this week's slate. The Falcons are probably going to let their passers go longer, which might mean they'll be able to put up more points.
