Do the Lions surprise the Broncos?
The Broncos are always good for surprises this season, both good and bad. Since last Sunday, however, the same has been true for the Lions, who picked up their first win of the season against Minnesota.
So almost anything is possible on Sunday. Detroit comes to Mile High with a good deal of confidence, whereas the Broncos are coming off a minus offensive performance, scoring just nine points in Kansas City.
However, the Broncos are still considered the favourites of course, they are also clearly better off this season with 6-6 wins than the Lions with their 1-10-1 record and just one win. However, it is by no means as clear-cut as the bookmakers make this matchup out to be.
That’s why our prediction for Denver vs. Detroit is a close battle, which the Broncos should win with a touchdown lead at the most.
Kickoff of the game is at 10:05pm in Denver, Colorado. It will be broadcast live in the Redzone by DAZN.
Denver Broncos – Statistics & current form
After a great start to the season and an interim low, the Broncos have bounced back somewhat, winning three of their last five games. Their last game in Kansas City, however, was very reminiscent of the offensive revelations of the middle of the season.
To score only nine points against a defence that still allows the seventh-most yards of any team (Chiefs) is pretty low. It does, however, reflect their offensive struggle this season, as they are one of only 11 teams to average under 20 points.
Running game consistently good
They can still rely on their running game, though. In the last two games they got 147 and 154 rushing yards, which are excellent stats. Over the season they stand at 118.0 yards per game – still a top-12 value.
That it was still only enough for nine points was due to the mediocre performance of Teddy Bridgewater. He has had games this season where you think: “Yes, he can become a top 10 quarterback”.
Then again, he counteracts that opinion time and again with performances like Sunday’s with two interceptions and a passer rating of just 62.2 points – below average.
Where is Denver headed?
The Broncos are currently in no-man’s land in the standings, but can still hope to make the playoffs. Whether this is a worthwhile goal given their current erratic performances, however, remains to be seen.
That’s why we don’t expect a sudden explosion of performance on Sunday. They could end up ahead, but not by more than ten points. Therefore, a bet on Detroit +10.5 is our clear recommendation for Broncos vs. Lions.
Key Players:
QB: Teddy Bridgewater
RB: Melvin Gordon
WR: Courtland Sutton
TE: Noah Fant
K: Brandon McManus
Detroit Lions – stats & current form
There it was at last – that long-awaited first win of the season. Several times before they were very close, only to never reach the goal due to bad luck and incompetence. On Sunday against Minnesota, however, it was time.
Also thanks to Amon-Ra St. Brown. The German-born wide receiver of the Lions caught his first NFL touchdown ever and this immediately led to victory with the clock running down. You can’t get better timing than that.
Does the win spark the Lions?
This now raises the question of how the Lions will take this sense of achievement into the rest of the season. Moreover, another success would more than jeopardise the number 1 pick in the summer after all.
Still, we think they won’t back down, which was obvious when you saw the jubilation after the success. There’s a team desperate to win and they’ll show that on Sunday in Denver.
Will Goff be healthy again by Sunday?
There is still a small question mark over the use of quarterback Jared Goff, who has caught a cold, as have several other players. However, we are quite sure that this will not lead to a loss.
So the Lions will be competitive in any case and, thanks to their ever-improving defence, will also cause serious problems for the Broncos. Over the last four games, the Lions have conceded an average of just 18 points – an excellent figure.
They should not go down with that against Denver and at least not suffer a blowout defeat. This has only happened to them three times this season anyway, which is why the odds on Detroit +10.5 for Broncos against Lions look very promising.
Key Players:
QB: Jared Goff
RB: Jamaal Williams
WR: Amon-Ra St.Brown
TE: T.J Hockenson
K: Riley Patterson
Denver Broncos – Detroit Lions Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
Broncos vs. Lions is one of those games that doesn’t happen that often in the NFL either. At least once in the last five years both teams met, with the better end for Denver.
The lead was ten points then and this is also the average lead of the bookmakers for Sunday. However, since we don’t expect such a big deficit, bets on the Lions +10 are recommended here.
Bets on sub-par points are also worth considering in this matchup. In Lions games, the 42-point mark has only been broken once in the last four weeks, and only twice in the last six weeks for the Broncos.
Denver Broncos – Detroit Lions Tip
The Lions are losing very often this year, but they also like to lose close. Since the beginning of November, the biggest deficit they’ve faced at the end was just three points – in a 10-13 loss to the not-so-bad Browns.
So we don’t expect the Broncos, of all teams, to pull off a blowout win over Detroit now, and see a bet on the Lions +10.5 as our No. 1 betting option for Denver vs. Detroit.
As a betting alternative, we also recommend a bet on no team reaching the 30-point mark at the end, in addition to under points. Especially with the current very cold temperatures, the chances of this happening are basically good in the NFL.
