NFL Betting: Lions Look to Rebound Against Cowboys

Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys (+7, 43 o/u)

The Dallas Cowboys (12-2 SU, 9-4-1 ATS) will once again be in the prime-time spotlight when they face the Detroit Lions (9-5 SU, 7-6-1 ATS) in the Week 16 Monday nighter (December 26th). With both teams at the top of their respective divisions, the NFL may have finally delivered the perfect Christmas gift to make up for that .

The ‘Boys are fresh off a 26-20 win over the Bucs, and are riding the media spotlight into Week 16. Or at least Ezekiel Elliott is, after celebrating a touchdown by jumping into an over-sized Salvation Army pot. Not surprisingly, he was called out by Giants star receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who laughed at the league for not fining Elliott. Instead of firing back, Elliott made a massive donation to the Sally Ann, and encouraged others to do so as well.

The combination of Elliott and QB Dak Prescott has been a huge part of the Cowboys’ success, and the rookie tandem has Dallas ranked fourth in the league in points per game (26.1 PPG). While the defense has matched the offense, statistically (also ranking fourth in PPG at 18.4), it remains an area of concern. Last week, they allowed the Bucs to overcome a 17-6 deficit to take a 20-17 lead. The unit will hope to see a boost to the defensive line with the return of Demarcus Lawrence, who was out with a back injury last week. David Irving did a nice job generating pressure against Tampa, but Dallas’ pass rush has been a problem all year and you can’t expect the same performance from a guy who had just 1.5 career sacks before last week.

As for the Lions, they dropped a big one to Beckham Jr.’s Giants last Sunday, 17-6. Even though they sit at the top of the NFC North, the Packers (8-5) are now biting at their heels. A Detroit win on Monday couple with a Green Bay loss to Minnesota would give the Lions the division crown. But as long as the Packers hold serve, the North will be decided in the final week of the season when the Lions and Packers square off at Ford Field.

Detroit has been working on fixing all the problems that led to last week’s loss but there are some issues that can’t be fixed, like the injuries to running back Theo Riddick, cornerback Darius Slay, and wide receiver Golden Tate. And don’t forget the injured finger on QB Matt Stafford’s throwing hand. Last week, he wore a glove but it didn’t seem to help as he didn’t throw a single TD.

The last time the ‘Boys and Lions met was this past January in the NFC Wild Card, which you may recall ended in controversy. Here is a quick refresher: the Lions led by three with just over eight minutes to go. They were driving into Dallas territory to potentially ice the game. A pass interference call was about to set them up at the Dallas 30-yard line. But – after the penalty was announced in the stadium – the officials picked up the flag and the Lions then punted on 4th-and-1. You know the rest of the story, even if you don’t. (Dallas went onto win 24-20.)

While that’s in the past, it’s still the last time these two played, meaning we could see a stubborn Lions squad looking for vengeance.

However, visiting this year’s Cowboys is a daunting endeavor (and it could be even more daunting after the team “hired” former WWE wrestler Sting to work as an “Intimidation Coach”). While that was mostly fun and games, Detroit’s play on the road is nothing to laugh about; the team is just 1-3 on road against teams over .500.

Pick: Cowboys (-7)

Photo credit: Keith Allison (flickr) [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/].