Baltimore at Detroit (12/16/2013)

I’ve said for the last three seasons Stafford and Schwartz are a train wreck waiting to happen but you got to ask yourself why are the Wise men in Vegas giving the defending Super Bowl Champions that can secure a playoff spot by winning the remainder of their games AND are riding into Motown on a three (3) game win streak just south of a touchdown head start…  Maybe an early Christmas Present to the public or do they have this one in the bag with a commitment from one of their pawns (Joe Flacco)…

I could be wrong but I think it’s the later so……………..  put me down for Detroit minus the chalk at the house for a Nickel please. 

Just heard that Chris Houston and Darius Slay (top reserve DB who was recently replaced by Rashean Mathis) are both Doubtful for tonights game...

That leaves Mathis as the top CB for the game to play along with Jonte Green, Bill Bentley, and Chris Greenwood. Most likely it will be Green that takes over the other CB spot as he started 5 games last year. Bentley is the Lions nickel back and will probably continue to do so. Greenwood was signed off the practice squad last week.

That said, the recievers in Baltimore are big play guys that catch less than 55% of their passes, but have the ability to burn corners. In order to do so they will need to do at least one of two things, successfully run the ball or use Pitta over the middle of the field to attract safety help.

Here in lies the problem for the Ravens. Baltimore doesn't run the ball very well. The only time a Ravens RB has gone over 100 yards this season was against the Bears, the leagues worst run defense.

In addition to the Ravens having a terrible running attack, the Lions are great against the run. A lot of people will read this and say I'm wrong about the Lions run defense because of what happened last week in Philly. But as I stated before that game, in the snow offense numbers are always inflated do to the defense losing their footing. That game was the outlier, as the Lions have not allowed any player to rush 100 yards this season.

The Ravens will score due to some long passes to Smith and Brown, but ultimately the Lions will be able to move the ball against a Ravens D that isn't great. The secondary of the Ravens and Lions are comparable. But the offesnes are completely different. Lions move the ball consistantly, whereas the Ravens need big plays.

Even if the Ravens get a few big plays, it won't be enough to keep up with the Lions tonight. If Houston and Slay don't go, and Reggie Bush does, take the Over. No matter what happens with the injured players on either team, take...

 Lions -5.5

oops!  Latter

Nice catch Sir…