Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions Dec 22nd

Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions +3.5 OvUn 51 – NFL Saturday December, 22 2012 8:30 EST

The Falcons head to Detroit hoping to clinch home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs as they face off against the hapless Lions.
Atlanta is on a roll heading into playoffs, and they come into Detroit with a 12-2 record. Last week, they beat the Giants 34-10, in a game that was not even close in the 2nd half. Matt Ryan threw three touchdowns against the defending champions and was an efficient 23 of 28 for 270 yards. It was truly a team effort for Atlanta who got touchdowns out of Michael Turner and Julio Jones and stellar play from their defense.

The Lions, far out of the playoff race with a record of 4-10 can do their best to play spoilers against Atlanta – a team they have lost three straight against. Detroit expected much more out of their 2012 season as the Lions made their first playoff appearance last season in over a decade.

Marred by inconsistent play, especially in the first halves of games Detroit has seemingly played from behind all season. Last week may have been the low point on their season. The Lions lost 38-10 to an Arizona Cardinals team on a nine game losing streak. Normally reliable QB Matthew Stafford threw two picks that were returned for touchdowns by the Arizona Defense.
Despite a year of failure for the Lions, there are still some positives. They still lead the NFC in total offense and wide out Calvin Johnson is chasing Jerry Rice’s single season receiving record. He just needs just 182 yards in the next two games to break the record.

The Line

This one opened at Detroit +3 and has moved due to heavy action on the ATL. The total has stayed around its opening number of 51.

The Play

While we normally would jump on a home dog in a rebound spot like Detroit, it’s hard to get behind the Lions right now. They have nothing to play for and we doubt their motivation to play spoiler against the playoff bound Falcons. Playing from behind has been a problem for Detroit all season and they could run into trouble against the red hot Falcons offense. This is not a grind out it team, it is one that puts up points in bunches.

Stafford’s health is still a question mark in our minds as his mechanics haven’t looked quite right all year long. Couple that with the Lions decimated receiving core and Atlanta’s above average secondary, it looks like a terrible matchup on paper. We realize this is a heavily bet public game and though we’ve professed a love for home dogs at Sports Betting Online – we’ll have to pass on this one. We like the Dirty Birds to cover and clinch home field throughout the playoffs.

Atlanta -3.5 – bet using your credit card now at www.gtbets.eu, the number one US friendly sportsbook.