Getty Jameis Winston of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jameis Winston is on the verge of making quarterback history. The Enigmatic quarterback continues his push to lead the NFL in passing yards, touchdowns and interceptions as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel north to take on the Detroit Lions Sunday at Ford Field. Winston leads the league with 23 interceptions and is just seven yards behind Dak Prescott for the lead in passing. The touchdown category is where Jameis has the most work to do, trailing Lamar Jackson by seven, 33 to 26.
Winston enters in with a sore thumb and is officially listed as questionable on the injury report, however, head coach Bruce Arians has confirmed that he will play. The Lions will start David Blough at quarterback for the third straight week in the as Matthew Stafford and Jeff Driskell both sidelined with injuries. Blough threw two interceptions on the road last week in a 20-7 loss against the Vikings.
ESPN’s FPI gives the Bucs a 58.5% chance of winning this game. We break down the line and offer our best bets and analysis for Sunday’s matchup between the Bucs and Lions.
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Bucs vs. Lions Game Details
Date: Sunday, December 15
Time: 1:00 pm
Location: Ford Field (Detroit, Michigan)
TV: FOX
Spread: Bucs -5
Total: 45.5
*All lines, odds, and trends are courtesy of Covers & The Action Network
Line Movement
This line opened at Bucs -4 and has been bet up to Bucs -4.5 at most books with the majority of the bets and money coming in on Tampa Bay. This line is correlated to the action and is moving with the market.
Betting Trends
- Bucs are 6-7 SU and 4-8-1 ATS this season
- Lions are 3-9 SU and 5-8 ATS this season
- Over is 10-3 in Bucs games this season
- Over is 8-5 in Lions games this season
Analysis & Picks
Everything is trending towards the passing game here. The Bucs and Lions enter as two of the league’s bottom-feeders defending the pass and Detroit could be without workhorse back Bo Scarbrough who is questionable to play with rib injury. Scarbrough missed practice on Thursday and Friday and is baked into this line which has drifted towards the Bucs throughout the week. Tampa Bay is also banged up at wide receiver as Mike Evans will not suit up with a hamstring injury. This means Chris Godwin and Darius Slay will likely be matched up for most of the game, which could neutralize the Bucs passing game a bit. O.J. Howard could be due for a breakout game as Detroit is allowing the 7th most fantasy points against tight ends over the last four weeks. Howard’s props are very reasonable on FanDuel with his receiving yards total at 38.5 and receptions total at 3.5. As much as I want to back the Bucs here, six points is just too much to swallow on the road. Also, I like the over trend a lot with Tampa Bay going 10-3 and Detroit going 8-5 over the total this season. Points, please!
PICK: Over 45.5
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Follow Jared Smith on Twitter: @jaredleesmith