As they reach the halfway point in their season with next Sunday’s road game against the Minnesota Vikings, the Detroit Lions are still searching to find a way to stop opponents when they get on a roll.
When the opponent gets rolling, it’s like an avalanche roaring down the mountainside and the Lions get buried.
We learned that again in the Lions’ 41-21 loss to the Indianapolis Colts at Ford Field. As has happened in their three previous losses this season, the Colts took over after falling behind 7-0, and they were in charge to the finish.
Among the other things we learned include the following: The Lions have not been able to count on their running game being productive on a consistent basis; the Lions continue to have no advantage playing at home at Ford Field; and to quote what a pundit once said about one of the political parties, the Lions “never fail to take advantage of failing to take advantage.”
The Lions made a break for themselves in the first quarter when Miles Killebrew blocked a Colts punt that gave the Lions possession in Colts territory. In two plays, the Lions scored on quarterback Matthew Stafford’s 25-yard pass to wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. for a 7-0 lead. It looked like the Lions would take command. They didn’t. The Colts answered back with touchdowns on three straight possessions to take a 20-7 lead. That wasn’t the end, though.
The Lions got a TD in the third quarter to make it 20-14 and were moving the ball again late in the third quarter when disaster struck. First Stafford lost a fumble on a sack. The Colts converted that into a touchdown to make the lead 28-14 with the addition of a two-point conversion. Eight seconds later, the Colts scored again on an interception return. That made it 35-14.
But it was nothing we haven’t seen before this season. On opening day, the Bears scored three TDs in the fourth quarter to wipe out a 23-6 deficit and win, 27-23.
In Week 2 at Green Bay, the Lions had a 14-3 lead with touchdowns on their first two possessions. That disappeared as the Packers scored 31 straight points on the way to a 42-21 Packers win.
And Week 4 at Ford Field, the Lions had a 14-0 lead in the first five minutes. The Saints scored five straight touchdowns to wipe out the Lions’ early lead and win, 35-29.
What we’ve learned this year is that the Lions have their moments, but their opponents have bigger ones.
On the run: The Lions seemed to have found their running game with an impressive 180-yard performance in a 34-16 win over the Jaguars in Week 5. Rookie D’Andre Swift led the way with 116 yards.But that didn’t last long. The Lions were held to 64 the next week in a win over the Atlanta Falcons, and they managed only 29 against the Colts.Like a lot of things that ail the Lions, consistency in their run game – and run defense – is missing. Don’t expect either to be good on any given week.
Prediction:
Detroit is a +170 road underdog with a win probability of 36.4% or fractional odds of 7/4 (2.75 decimal odds) in Week 9. If Detroit wins outright or loses by 3 or fewer points, a Lions +3.5 (-110) ticket cashes.
The Vikings are favorites, at -209 with an implied win probability of 67.6%. Those odds are expressed fractionally as 100/209 or 1.48 decimal odds. Minnesota needs to win by 4 or more points for a Vikings -3.5 (-110) bet to win.
How to watch NFL Free live 2020
Date: Sunday, 8th November 2020
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Location: U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis,USA
TV: CBS
Free Watch Link: Watch Free Live NFL
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