Lions vs. Bears Prediction
Can the Detroit Lions handle being a road favorite when they take on the Chicago Bears in an NFC North rivalry game at 1PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Detroit is favored on the road, as the Lions are getting odds of -3 points against the Bears. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 41 points. Detroit has won seven of its last eight meetings with the Bears, but Chicago has covered in four of their last five against the Lions. The public betting in this one has the Lions getting 80 percent of the wagers on the road. Sunday’s game takes place from Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois and will air live on FOX.
Detroit is coming off a 38-24 win vs. Cleveland last week for its second straight victory. The Lions have won two straight to get to 5-4 on the year. The Lions are also 5-4 agaisnt the spread, covering in all five wins they have had. Detroit is putting up 27.1 points and 356 yards per game this season on offense. Despite their run game, that averages only 82.6 yards per game, the Lions still have an offense that can move the ball. Matthew Stafford has thrown for 2,461 yards and 17 touchdowns this season, but has been sacked 30 times. The Lions will see their project starting offensive line together for the first time this season, so that could boost the pass protection and run game Golden Tate is the leading receiver with 56 catches for 659 yards and three touchdowns.. Defensively, Detroit is allowing 23.3 points and 364.4 yards per contest. The Lions have forced 18 turnovers this year. Darius Slay has four interceptions and 13 pass deflections to lead the unit.
The Bears are coming off a 23-16 loss at home to the Packers to fall to 3-6 on the season. Chicago is 5-4 against the spread, but the Bears have failed to cover in their last two games. The Bears are averaging just 16.7 points and 310.8 yards per game this season on offense, but rookie QB Mitchell Trubisky is continuing to improve with each start. He threw for a career-high 297 yards in last week’s loss to the Packers. Trubisky has 809 yards and three touchdowns with two INT’s this season. He’s been sacked 16 times. Jordan Howard is leading the offense with 716 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Defensively, Chicago is allowing 21.6 points and 334.7 yards per contest. Akiem Hicks is leading the unit with 33 tackles and seven sacks.
The Lions may look like a new team today with their offensive line finally together. Detroit spent a good chunk of change addressing the line in the offseason but injuries bit in training camp. The Lions have been able to win consistently against Chicago and they are amazingly 8-0 ATS in their last 8 games in November. The Bears will have trouble keeping pace with the Lions if Detroit has success on offense. Trubisky is improving, but still making rookie mistakes.
NFL WEEK 11 PREDICTION: DETROIT LIONS -3