Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions, Ford Field, Detroit, MI
Sunday, December 12, 2010, 1:00 pm EST, TV: FOX
Opening Line: Packers -6.5
Current Line: Packers -6.5
Opening Total: 44.5
Current Total: 46
Money Line: Packers -270 / Lions +230
The Green Bay Packers (8-4) barely beat the Detroit Lions (2-10) the first time around at Lambeau Field back in Week 4 and need to keep winning if they hope to catch Chicago for the NFC North lead. The Packers (-6.5) are coming off a 34-16 rout of San Francisco at home last week and will try to extend Detroit’s losing streak to six games on Sunday.
The Lions fell to the Bears for the second time this season last week but again covered the spread, something they have not done nearly as much in the second half of the season. Detroit went 7-1 against the spread in the first half but has gone just 1-3 ATS since then. One of those early-season covers came in a 28-26 road loss at Green Bay as a 14.5-point underdog.
Third-string Drew Stanton was forced into action against Chicago due to injuries to starter Matthew Stafford and backup Shaun Hill, and he completed 16 of 24 passes for 178 yards with a touchdown pass and touchdown run in the 24-20 loss. Stanton did not get much from his running game outside of a 45-yard burst from rookie Jahvid Best, who finished with 65 yards on nine carries. The Lions totaled only 49 yards in the second half after leading 17-14 at halftime.
Detroit has lost an NFL-record 19 straight divisional games and also has not beaten Green Bay in the last 10 meetings. However, the Packers have never won 11 in a row in the series and their last loss to the Lions came in the season opener of the 2005 season.
Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers has played phenomenal over the last month, throwing 11 touchdown passes with no interceptions after throwing at least one pick in six of the first seven games. Rodgers had a passer rating of 131.5 or higher in three of the last four games despite getting little help on the ground besides himself. He is the team’s second-leading rusher with 284 yards and has more rushing touchdowns (four) than any of his running backs.
The only knock on Rodgers has been his inability to win many close games, as the Pack is just 2-12 in games that have been decided by four points or less in which he has started. One of the two wins was the first meeting with the Lions earlier this season. That game marked the first time since 2005 that Detroit had lost by less than seven points in the series.
The Packers are 7-3 against the spread in the last 10 meetings with the Lions and 5-1 ATS in their last six games overall. The UNDER is 6-0 in Green Bay’s road games this year while the OVER is 6-0 in Detroit’s home games, so one of those streaks will definitely be broken here.
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