The Detroit Lions are coming off a thrilling last second win over Washington that kept their slim playoffs alive. They now have an opportunity to get back to .500 when they face 3-7 Carolina. These two teams last met in 2018 when the Lions squeaked out a 20-19 upset win. The Panthers are 3 point favorites in this matchup, but they are dealing with some key injuries. The Panthers and Lions both view this as a winnable game but only one will prevail
Lions win last second thriller
The Lions have been a tough out for teams on its schedule. Unlike past years, coach Matt Patricia's team is not a pushover and still finds itself battling for a playoff spot in the NFC. Last week, they kept those hopes alive with a thrilling 30-27 win over Washington. They won it on a 59 yard Matt Prater field goal as time expired. The Lions had jumped out to a 24-3 lead midway through the third quarter when Matthew Stafford hit D'Andre Swift for a 15 yard touchdown pass. It looked like they were cruising to an easy win but cue the scratched record sound effect.Washington stormed back with three straight scores and then with 16 seconds left, Dustin Hopkins tied it with a 41 yard field goal. With just 16 ticks left, Stafford completed two quick passes and got a 15 yard roughing the passer penalty that put the Lions in Prater's range. The Lions got torched for 464 total yards and were badly outplayed down the stretch, but they were able to hold on to that big lead they had built up. Stafford threw for 276 yards and 3 touchdowns while Swift had 81 yards rushing. Marvin Jones added 8 catches for 96 yards and a touchdown.
Panthers lose 5th straight
The Carolina Panthers dropped their fifth straight game on Sunday to drop to 3-7. They got blown out by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 46-23 and to make matters worse, their starting quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater, exited the game with a knee injury. He didn't return as the game was out of hand but the question is, will he play Sunday. He is listed as day-to-day. The Panthers have shown signs of promise this year but every time they look like they have it together, another injury derails them.The biggest loss this year for the Panthers has been Christian McCaffery, arguably the best offensive weapon in the NFL. McCaffery had been out since week 2 with an injury, but then he returned last week and the Panthers almost shocked the Chiefs, losing 33-31. But then McCaffery banged up his shoulder and he missed the Bucs game last week. Now, he is listed as day-to-day but it doesn't look likely that he'll play against the Lions. This is a huge blow for the Panthers chances to right the ship and end the losing streak.
Stats & Trends
- Lions are 3-1-1 ATS in their last 5 games in Week 11.
- Underdog is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 meetings.
- Lions are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 meetings.
- Panthers are 4-9-1 ATS in their last 14 games after accumulating less than 250 total yards in their previous game.
- Panthers are 3-7-1 ATS in their last 11 games following a straight up loss.
- Panthers are 2-5-1 ATS in their last 8 games after allowing more than 250 yards passing in their previous game.
- Panthers are 4-10-1 ATS in their last 15 vs. NFC.
- Panthers are 7-18-1 ATS in their last 26 games on grass.
- Panthers are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games in Week 11.
- Panthers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games after accumulating less than 150 yards passing in their previous game.
- Panthers are 1-5-1 ATS in their last 7 games after allowing more than 30 points in their previous game.
- Panthers are 1-6 ATS vs. a team with a losing record.
The Pick
Take the Lions getting the points here. I love the Lions on the road here getting points. After an emotional win last week, the Lions have some positive momentum heading into this game. They have a gold opportunity here to get back to .500 and for a lot of teams that might not sound like much, but for this franchise, it's a very big deal. The Panthers, meanwhile, are getting to the point where they might just be throwing in the towel. The losses are piling up and now, so are the injuries. With the status of Bridgewater and McCaffery, there's no way I can take the Panthers here. Neither one of these teams play much defense, but the Lions have more weapons at their disposal than the Panthers do right now, so look for them to win going away.