The Broncos’ playoff berth is far from guaranteed but they’re certainly played like a team that deserves it. In Week 14 they made mincemeat of the Chargers in L.A., 24-7. Detroit still leads the NFC North but things are looking a lot tighter than before Thanksgiving. They were unquestionably outplayed Sunday in Chicago, losing to the Bears 28-13.

The NFL odds have faith that the Lions will overcome their recent struggles and win by at least 5.5 points.

NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis

The last meeting between these sides wasn’t that long ago. It came in December 2021 when the Broncos trotted all over the Lions 38-10 in Denver, although those were two very different clubs back then. That marked Denver’s third successive win over the Michigan-based outfit, with the most recent two as the home team. The Broncos haven’t been in Detroit since 2015, which was Payton Manning’s final season in the NFL.

After not covering a single spread in the fix six weeks (there was one push), Denver has handled five of its seven most recent opportunities. As such, even though the 5-7-1 record doesn’t look good, it belies how much better the team has faired in recent weeks. The Broncos are also a kind of “slow and steady” squad. The defence has spruced up significantly since the embarrassment in Miami back in September, but they also don’t score a bunch, hence the 5-8 tally for the over.

Just as the Broncos are riding high, the Lions look a little tamer than they did earlier this season. Losers in two of their last three games – with an argument to be made that it should be three out of four – they’ve also not covered three of their last four spreads. It’s a reversal of what Denver is doing. The 8-5 ATS record looks good, but it’s bolstered by early-season success.

Denver Broncos

Only the most casual football fan would have thought that the Broncos-Chargers game on Sunday was evenly matched. The reality was that this was a game pitting one team hitting its stride and another crashing and burning before our very eyes.

True to their nature, the Chargers went for it six times on fourth down. The problem is that Denver’s defence has improved drastically, and they stopped L.A. on five of those attempts, including once in the red zone. Denver only gave up a total of 283 yards, with six different players registering sacks, among them Alex Singleton, Josey Jewell, and P.J. Locke. True enough, Chargers QB Justin Herbert left the game in the second half with an injury, but the Broncos had already begun inflicting damage by then. The play of the day was Russell Wilson’s 48-yard bomb into the end zone, caught by Courtland Sutton whilst falling and with a defender all over him. This was as complete as the Broncos have been all year, winning 24-7.

Detroit Lions

After the Thanksgiving match, Lions head coach Dan Campbell told the media it wasn’t time to press the panic button. So long as Detroit remains atop the NFC North that remains true, but the ensemble is looking wonky.

Detroit should have known better. They stared defeat in the face at home against the Bears weeks ago. Benefitting from late-game moxie and Chicago ineptitude, they stole a win. The Bears were always going to want to pay that back. Pay it they did, with the Lions looking rather lacklustre in the process, not something fans want to see in December. Fighting back from a 10-0 to claim a 13-10 advantage in the second quarter should have been the light to guide the way, except that Detroit never scored again. They gained 13 first downs and 267 total yards. Jared Goff getting out-quarterbacked by Justin Fields is about the worst scenario imaginable, but that’s exactly what happened. Make the final, 28-13 for the Bears.

Who Will Win Broncos vs. Lions?

BRONCOS

Away

23

LIONS

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