Lions vs. Bears Pick
Can the Detroit Lions continue their recent offensive surge when they hit the road to face the Chicago Bears on Sunday 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 and the two have hit the under in three straight meetings. 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.
The Bears are coming off a 23-16 loss at home to the Packers to fall to 3-6 on the season. Chicago is 6-3 with the under this season and 4-1 with the under at home. The Bears are averaging just 16.7 points and 310.8 yards per game this season but rookie QB Mitchell Trubisky is continuing to improve with each start. He has 809 yards and three touchdowns with two INT’s. 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.
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 6-3 with the over, hitting it in four of their last five games. Detroit is putting up 27.1 points and 356 yards per game this season. 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. Golden Tate is the leading receiver with 56 catches for 659 yards and three touchdowns. Stafford and the run game are expected to have their full starting offensive line together for the first time this season on Sunday. 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 Lions have found the offense in recent weeks, putting up 68 points over their last two games. Chicago can present some problems defensively, but I think getting a healthy offensive line should do a lot for Stafford on Sunday. Detroit’s defense relies on turnovers to get stops. They gave up a lot of rushing yards and total offense to a poor Cleveland offense a week ago, so I can see Trubisky and the Bears finding some points as well. I like the over to hit.
NFL WEEK 11 PREDICTION: LIONS/BEARS OVER 41