Free Pick: TB-DET
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are fighting for the NFC South crown while the Detroit Lions are fighting for their first win of the season. The two teams will square off at Ford Field on Sunday.
Oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have made the Buccaneers a –7.5 point spread favorite. The over/under for this game has been set at 42 total points.
Why would anyone bet on the lowly, winless Lions? Because they cover the spread – that’s why. Detroit is 4-2 against the spread in its last six games and 5-0 against the spread in its last five games when playing Tampa Bay. The Lions are also 5-1 against the spread in its last six games when playing at home against the Bucs.
Looking at the stats, it’s not pretty. It’s really no surprise that they all favor Tampa Bay considering the Bucs are 7-3 and the Lions are 0-10. But Detroit is getting dangerously close to notching its first victory and the Bucs don’t have the most explosive offense in the NFL, so they usually have to rely on their defense and sneak out close victories.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the Bucs have really struggled scoring touchdowns in the red zone this year. They’ve often had to settle for field goals instead of six points, which was evident last week in their 19-13 win over Minnesota. They made five trips to the red zone last week and came away with four field goals. The Lions might not win, but we like the hook and will gladly take the home team getting more than a touchdown.
Our Free NFL Pick for the Week 12 matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions game is
DETROIT LIONS +7.5
TheSpread.com Projected Final Score
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20
Detroit Lions 14
We also predict that this game will GO UNDER THE TOTAL (42 Sportsbook.com) SET BY ODDSMAKERS
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Posted: 11/22/08 8:00PM ET
