NFL Week 12 Picks: Detroit Lions vs. New England Patriots

Detroit Lions vs. New England Patriots
Sunday, 11/23/14, 1:00 PM EST
Opening Point Spread: New England -6
Current Betting Line: New England -7
Opening Total: 48
Current Total: 47.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

The New England Patriots are playing their best football of the 2014 campaign

Detroit had its four-game win streak snapped last time out, as it dropped a 14-6 decision to the Arizona Cardinals as one-point road favorites Sunday, while going UNDER the betting total for the eighth time in 10 contests this season. The Lions will need to perform at a higher level offensively in hopes of pulling off an upset in this spot, which is important to consider when making your NFL betting picks, as they gained just 262 yards last time out. It’s important to point out that quarterback Matthew Stafford is 0-15 SU when playing on the road in this career against teams that ended the season with a winning record. Detroit is 3-10 SU and 5-7-1 ATS as underdogs the last two-plus seasons.

The Lions own the league’s best stop unit in defending the run thus far in 2014, which can’t be ignored when looking over the NFL betting lines, as the group is holding foes to an average of 68.8 yards per game and 3.03 per carry. Detroit will try to stop New England’s backfield tandem of Jonas Gray and recently re-signed LeGarrette Blount. Stafford needs some help from his own running game to create balance offensively, but the squad is averaging just 80.2 yards on the ground over its last six contests.

New England is one of the hottest teams in the league, as it pushed its win streak to six games by picking up a 42-20 victory over the Indianapolis Colts as three-point road underdogs last week, while going OVER the betting total for a seventh consecutive affair. The Patriots are being led by future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady, who has compiled a 115.8 passer rating during the team’s recent run. New England is 7-1 SUATS as home favorites of 3.5 to 7 points since the start of the 2012 campaign.

The Patriots have suffered some major injuries this season, but numerous players on the roster have stepped up, including Gray’s contribution of rushing for 201 yards and four touchdowns on 37 carries last time out. New England may keep his workload to a minimum in this spot, considering he entered last week with just 32 career rushes as a professional.