The Detroit Lions travel down to Indianapolis to face off against Anthony Richardson and the Colts in week 12. The Lions are coming off another dominating 52-6 win against the pitiful Jacksonville Jaguars. This would mark the third time this season Detroit has steamrolled an opponent. After a historical Sunday, the team now looks forward to the 5-6 Colts. The Lions look to improve their winning streak to 9 games, keeping their perfect away record alive and becoming the first team in the NFC to reach 10 wins! Can the Lions continue their reign of terror as an NFL elite team? Do the Colts have a chance to catch Detroit off guard?
Can the Lions Keep the Streak Alive?
One word Absolutely! The Detroit Lions are proving each and every week that they are amongst the best teams in the NFL. They are making some of their opponents look like they should still be playing on Saturdays. Not only are they sitting at the top of the NFL (with the Chiefs) with a 9-1 record, but they are 8-2 against the spread this season for all you bettors out there. This team is the best Lions team in franchise history. Every single week, you hear stats that this team is off to the best start since “insert year here,” or this hasn’t happened since this time.
According to Vegas, Detroit is the favorite to win the Super Bowl! Yes, you heard that correctly, and it’s not a joke! The DETROIT LIONS ARE THE FAVORITE TO WIN THE SUPER BOWL! Quarterback Jared Goff is also at the third-best odds of winning the league MVP.
Enough of betting odds; let’s focus on this week against the Colts. The Colts are treating their quarterbacks this year like a long-term relationship. They started with Anthony Richardson, needed some time apart, met Joe Flacco, had a fling while on the separation, and they come crawling back to Richardson. This little rekindling of the flame with the second-year quarterback seems to have revived and refocused the potential franchise signal caller.
Richardson was able to lead the Colts to an emotional comeback win against the imploding Jets. The Lions will be a much tougher challenge for Indy, and the ability of Detroit fans to take over visiting stadiums should not be taken lightly! The Colts offense ranks near the bottom third of the league in total offense,e scoring 21.5 points and 320 yards per game. Their defense is even more skeptical, being near the bottom of the league, letting up 22 points and 370 yards per game.
Lions Road to a Victory
The Lions are over a touchdown favorite against the home Indianapolis Colts. Expect the offense led by “civilian” (thanks, Nick Wright) quarterback Jared Goff to be simply too much for Colt’s defense. Goff should be able to take advantage of the poor pass defense. The Colts also rank amongst the worst in the NFL against the run, so look for Sonic and Knuckles to get plenty of opportunities to put up video game-like numbers.
This game will be a great chance for the trio of Gibbs, Montgomery, and St. Brown to all score touchdowns for a record 9th time. Tight end Sam LaPorta is trending towards playing after missing last week against the Jags with a shoulder injury. To be honest, no offense to LaPorta, but did anyone notice he wasn’t there last Sunday?
The Lions will be playing their first game without a defensive leader, linebacker Alex Anzalone. Anzalone broke his forearm in the blowout win against the Jags and expect him to miss 6-8 weeks. The young duo of Malcolm Rodriguez and Jack Campbell will be asked to step up in their respective roles to fill the void of the defensive captain.
Newly acquired and already fan favorite Za’Darius Smith should be lifted of his handcuffed restriction that he was held to last week. Smith was able to record his first sack as a Lion and expect to see another this weekend. Anthony Richardson is still young and inexperienced in the league; the combination of the “Seek and Destroy” tandem of Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph will look to make it a long day for the QB.
Final Thought
Dan Campbell and company have this Detroit Lions team prepared every single week. They are on a mission to put respect on the Lion’s name after decades of devastation and humiliation. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Lions won in dominating fashion once again. They simply don’t play down to their competition and take care of business on a weekly basis. Pat McAfee, I appreciate your enthusiasm about your former team, but this week, they will get trucked by the hardest-hitting team in the NFL. Goff will add to his MVP resume, and the Lions will cruise back to Motor City for Thanksgiving with a big win over the Colts.
