Detroit Lions (1-0, 1-0 ATS) @ Carolina Panthers (1-0, 1-0 ATS)
*ATS= against the spread
BETDAQ Line: Carolina-2.5 (43.5)
Significant Injuries
Detroit: S James Ihedigbo (doubtful– neck), S Don Carey (out– hamstring), OT LaAdrian Waddle (out– calf)
Carolina: RB DeAngelo Williams (questionable– thigh), LB Jason Williams (questionable– thigh)
Recent Trends
Detroit is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 September games
Detroit is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning record
Detroit os 0-4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a win of 14 points or more
Carolina is 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 home games
The OVER is 4-1 in Detroit’s last 5 games following a win
The UNDER is 5-1 in Carolina’s last 6 home games
The UNDER is 8-0 in Carolina’s last 8 games vs. NFC opponents
Three reasons to back Detroit
1. The Lions have one of the NFL’s most explosive passing attacks, and Carolina has three new starters in the secondary this season. Tampa Bay, the Panthers’ Week 1 opponent, wasn’t able to exploit the Carolina secondary, but Matt Stafford and the Lions are well-equipped to attack.
2. Carolina quarterback Cam Newton struggles as a passer at times and the Panthers ranked 29th in passing offense last season. Newton’s receiving corps is entirely new this year, and since he didn’t play last week this will be his first game action with the new crew. A rough day for the Carolina passing game seems likely.
3. The Panthers– a conservative, low-scoring team that wants to run the ball and let its defense win games– just won’t be able to keep pace with the high-scoring Lions, who will surely have success attacking the vulnerable Carolina secondary. The wrong team is favored here.
Three reasons to back Carolina
1. The Panthers have been a consistent winner lately, especially at home, where they’re 6-1-1 against the number in their last 8 games. The Lions, meanwhile, are notoriously unreliable and have covered just three times in their last 11 road games.
2. The Carolina defense is among the league’s best– they ranked 2nd in both yards allowed and points allowed last season– and they’ll be facing a one-dimensional Lions offense and a quarterback (Matt Stafford) who has been turnover prone throughout his career. Look for a typically dominant performance from the Carolina D.
3. The Lions are vulnerable in the secondary and especially so this week because of injury issues at the safety position. Carolina, meanwhile, moved the ball effectively last week despite the absence of starting quarterback Cam Newton, their most important offensive player. Newton is back and will start on Sunday.
Prediction
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