Lions – Bears
Time: NOON CST
Spread: DET -8.5
Total: 44
Betting odds courtesy of Bookmaker
The Detroit Lions have a chance to secure its first division title in 21 NFL seasons. It begins with defeating a struggling Bears team that the Lions are 8.5 point favorites over in Live NFL Lines at oddsmaker Bovada.
The Chicago Bears have dropped four straight to the Lions, who just clinched a playoff berth with last week’s win over the Eagles.
The Lions are hoping for the first division title since the days of Barry Sanders, and Jason Jones said “It’s right there in front of us.” Next week will bring significantly more pressure when the Lions take it to Green Bay, which could settle the score in one contest.
Two seasons ago, the Lions went 4-4 through the first eight games and proceeded to lose the remainder of the season. Last year, Detroit won six of its first nine and then lost six of the last seven. Avoiding that type of breakdown this season is what has rendered the Lions as a playoff threat moving into the season’s final weeks.
Jim Caldwell said it’s important that his team not lose its focus and only look at what is directly in front of them, speaking of his team avoiding “distorted vision.” It is what has worked so far for Detroit, and it should continue to if Caldwell instills the importance of living within the moment to his team.
The Lions fell behind 14-3 in the first quarter last week and eventually came back to win by 2-points over the Vikings. The Vikes got 193 yards and two TDs on the first four drives of the game, but managed just 167 yards after that point. Prior to that, Detroit had given up just 502 yards over the previous two weeks to the Bears and Bucs.
The offense had problems too, as the team recorded just 233 total yards against Minnesota. Stafford threw for just 153 yards, but destroyed the Bears last meeting when he threw for 390 yards and two TD passes to Calvin Johnson.
For all the criticism Jay Cutler has received in Chicago, he has managed over 3,600 yards this season. The problems lie in his 6.9 yards per attempt and his 18 INTs this season. In Monday night’s 31-15 loss to the Saints, he threw three INTs, and it’s been the story of the season really. That seems to make the mass yardage entirely meaningless, and it’s certainly no silver lining for a team lacking direction like the Bears.
Cutler said he was “frustrated” and that “you get to a point where you don’t have the answer. I think that’s where we’re at.” That doesn’t seem like the mindset that inspires much hope in surrounding players, and most certainly not the type of attitude anyone expects from a winning quarterback.
Odds show NFL live betting with a 44 point total for the affair.
Injury Report:
Detroit, likely to play: M Seisay (Q)
Detroit, Out: N Fairley, L Waddle, J Fauria, T Jones, T Lewis, S Tulloch, N Lawson, C Hilliard, B Bentley
Chicago, likely to play: S Sutton (Q), K Long (Q), T Jennings (Q), J Ratliff (Q), M Ola (Q)
Out: C Conte, R Gould, M Slauson, D Sharpton, L Briggs, B Marshall, B De La Puente, L Houston, C Tillman, Z Miller
Betting Trends:
DET: The UNDER is 7-0 in the Lions last 7 road games. The Lions are 0-5 ATS in the last 5 on grass. The UNDER is 7-0 in the Lions last 7 games after accumulating less than 90 rushing yards in the previous game.
CHI: The OVER Is 5-0 in the Bears last 5 games in Week 16. The OVER is 7-0 in the last 7 vs teams with winning records. The Bears are 0-4 ATS vs teams with winning records.
Head-to-head: The Lions are 5-0 ATS in the last 5 meetings. The Home team is 6-2 ATS in the last 8 meetings and the Lions are 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings in Chicago.
