Getty Matt Prater celebrates a big 2016 win against Indianapolis.
The Detroit Lions have won back to back games, but they remain much maligned in terms of the oddsmakers as they push toward the midway point of their season in Week 8.
This week, the Lions take on the Indianapolis Colts who are coming off a Week 7 bye, and no doubt the Colts had time to scout the Lions a bit and watch their game this weekend. Perhaps for those reasons, Detroit is still seen as an underdog heading into this weekend despite seemingly getting hot at the right time.
Early lines favor the Colts by 2-3 points. It’s a narrow margin, but it represents an early disadvantage for the game this coming weekend.
The Lions haven’t been winning by blowout margins, so it makes sense that this line would be close to start. This season, the Lions have had tons of close games and it could happen again this weekend. At 3-3, it’s not a surprise to think that the game will be decided by a late field goal or touchdown.
Lions-Colts Series History
Detroit and Indianapolis don’t often play each other, but when they have, the games have usually been exciting, close affairs. The last time the teams met was 2016, when the Lions won a nail biter by virtue of a last second field goal by Matt Prater. Overall, the Colts have a narrow 21-20-2 lead in the series, and have won 4 out of 5 games the teams have played lately including a thriller in 2012.
The team’s don’t play often because they are in separate conferences, but Detroit could get some series momentum going with a win this coming weekend.
Importance of Lions vs. Colts
Detroit needs this game against the 4-2 Colts in order to bolster their playoff resume. It could be a big tipping point for the season. A win could get the Lions back on track and keep them as a major player in the NFC race moving forward the rest of the season. It could also legitimize them in the minds of fans and pundits who assert they’ve only been beating bad teams lately amid their winning streak.
Sunday’s win moved the Lions to 3-3 and firmly back in the mix in terms of the NFC playoff picture. The Lions will be battling teams like Carolina, New Orleans, Arizona, Los Angeles and company in the weeks ahead. The win did a good job to help Detroit keep pace and keep them in the picture for the rest of the season. A loss and a 2-4 record would have been a death blow early in the season, but the Lions won themselves a shot at yet another week of relevancy in the standings.
With the expanded NFL postseason coming in 2020, the Lions need only keep winning to give themselves a shot. Detroit could have been positioned significantly well with a better start to the season, but they are firmly back in play for the second half of the season to chase down a playoff bid.
A strong effort this weekend against the favored Colts will get them back in play.