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Lions Raiders Spread

The Detroit Lions travel to face the Oakland Raiders in a pivotal non-conference showdown Sunday in Week 15 NFL action. The Lions currently own the No. 6 seed in the NFC, which mean they would be the last team in if the season were to end today. The Raiders are in a three-way tie for 7th place in the AFC. They trail the New York Jets by one game in the wild card race, and they also trail the Denver Broncos by a single game in the AFC West.

If you are looking to wager on this game, then you will find a line of Detroit -1 over Oakland with a total set of 47.5 points.

Detroit

The Lions were the surprise of the league in the early going, winning five straight to start the season. Detroit (8-5, 4-2 away) would go on to drop five of their next seven to nearly self-destruct. This stretch saw Ndamukong Suh get suspended for two games after kicking a player for the Green Bay Packers. Suh is expected to return this week against the Raiders, and there’s no question he should be on better behavior. The Lions were able to right the ship last week without him, beating the Vikings 34-28 at home.

Despite committing six turnovers, watching their starting quarterback get benched, and playing without Adrian Peterson, the Vikings still managed to have a chance to win last Sunday. Minnesota trailed by 21 points at two different points in this game, but they would not go away. Backup quarterback Joe Webb led them to within six points with one last chance to steal a victory. The Vikings got the ball down to the Detroit 1-yard line on the game’s final play, but DeAndre Levy forced a Webb fumble that sealed the win for the Lions. Levy also had a fist full of Webb’s facemask, but it didn’t get called, and the Lions finally got a break.

Detroit ranks 10th in the league in total offense (376.2 yards/game) and 17th in total defense (345.2 yards/game). Their strength is a passing offense that ranks 5th at 275.7 yards/game, along with a pass defense that ranks 9th at 209.1 yards/game. Stafford is having a big year. He is completing 63.4 percent of his passes for 3,754 yards with 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Calvin Johnson leads all Detroit receivers with 72 receptions for 1,121 yards and a whopping 12 touchdowns.

Oakland

The Raiders have been in a free fall in recent weeks, and they have not been able to put the wheels back on. Oakland (7-6, 3-3 home) went from having a one-game lead in the AFC West division to trailing the Denver Broncos by one game after back-to-back ugly losses. Oakland was beaten handily at Miami 34-14 before taking another lopsided beating at the hands of the Green Bay Packers 46-16 at Lambeau Field last Sunday.

Green Bay raced out to a 34-0 lead early in the third quarter and coasted home from there. Carson Palmer went 24 of 42 passing for 245 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions. He was confused all day and simply could not get this offense in a rhythm. Michael Bush was limited to 78 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. The Raiders clearly beat themselves in this one as they committed five turnovers and 11 penalties as a team.

Oakland is the most-penalized team in the league this season. They average 10 penalties for 85.8 yards/game. Detroit is third with an average of 8.1 penalties and 68.8 yards/game. Whoever makes the fewest mistakes Sunday will likely come away with a victory. The Raiders rank 12th in the NFL in total offense (366.5 yards/game) and 26th in total defense (374.7 yards/game). Star running back Darren McFadden has missed the last six games with a foot injury, and he’s doubtful to return Sunday. Palmer is completing 56.2 percent of his passes for 1,730 yards with nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He must be much sharper than he was last week if Oakland is going to beat Detroit.

Betting Trends

The Lions are 10-3-1 ATS in their last 14 games following a S.U. win, but just 1-8-1 ATS in their last 10 games as a road favorite.

The Raiders are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games following a S.U. loss, but only 7-21-2 ATS in their last 30 games as an underdog of 3.0 points or less.