NFL FOOTBALL BETTING PREDICTION - DETROIT LIONS @ GREEN BAY PACKERS

NFL Football

2012-12-09 - Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers

A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown

Detroit Lions @ Green Bay Packers
United States: NFL Football
Sunday 9 December 2012 - Kick Off 8:20pm
1:20am (British Time)

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Preview

I am sure this game was picked as the late Sunday Night Football treat by the TV networks as a potential NFC North decider with both the Green Bay Packers (8-4) and the Detroit Lions (4-8) expected to be in the Play Off mix come the end of the season.

It hasn't turned out that way as the Lions have disappointed for most of the season, while the Packers remain in a strong position and know if they run the table they will win the NFC North and give themselves a great chance of earning a first round bye in the Play Offs.

Aaron Rodgers hasn't been the statistical maniac he was last season, but he has continued to make some big plays although not to the level as a year ago. His Offensive Line has struggled in a major way all year and that will be a problem for Green Bay in this one with the likes of Nick Fairley and Ndamukong Suh at the front of the Detroit Defensive Line.

While I think the pocket will collapse at will, the return of Greg Jennings makes up for the loss of Jordy Nelson to injury and the Lions have struggled tremendously when it comes to their Secondary. This is an area where the Packers should be able to exploit them in this contest and I expect Rodgers to have a decent day passing the ball.

The Packers should also have success the running the ball against this Defense, although they have had to bring back Ryan Grant for their depleted backfield.

With the way Calvin Johnson has been playing, you have to think the Detroit Lions are going to also be able to move the chains in this contest. Matt Stafford and Johnson have begun hooking up for big yardage, although the Offense is missing the likes of Ryan Broyles, Titus Young and Nate Burleson. That means it will still be tough for Detroit to get things going consistently as Stafford only targets Johnson when they are throwing the ball.

The problem for Green Bay is that they are still missing Charles Woodson and Clay Matthews for this game so the Lions passing attack won't be disrupted in the backfield. However, the Offensive Lion of Detroit has also had a tough time protecting Stafford who also is guilty of making some errant throws with his sidearm throw.

I also expect Mikel Leshoure to get the rushing game going for Detroit which will make life easier for Matt Stafford in this one to convert short yardage situations. Green Bay have struggled on the ground for much of this season and Detroit should be able to exploit that in a similar manner to what they did in the first game.

Head to Head

Green Bay beat Detroit by 4 points on the road in their first game this season and have now won 3 in a row in the series since a low-scoring loss in Detroit a couple of seasons ago.

The Packers have won 20 in a row against Detroit at home.

Prediction

Both Offenses should have success in this game and I think the weather conditions could also play a part- in that case I think the Lions running game might be the difference between the teams and at least put them in a position to cover the spread.

The Lions do give Aaron Rodgers some problems with the pressure they get up front and I think they are going to leave everything on the field in this one as they have nothing else to play for since they dropped to 4 games under 0.500.

It doesn't look a lot of points, but I think they have to be taken in a game that could be far closer than the layers clearly think.

The Statistics :

The Pick :