by Amedeus Mastrangelo
Tuesday, Dec 07, 2021
Game Time: 4:05 pm ET, Sunday, December 12, 2021
Venue: Empower Field at Mile High, Denver, CO
Where to Watch: Fox
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: Lions +8, Broncos -8; Over/Under: 42 points
Bet365: Point Spread: Lions +8, Broncos -8; Over/Under: 42 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: Lions +7.5, Broncos -7.5; Over/Under: 41.5 points
Season Record
Detroit Lions: 1-10-1 (4th place, NFC North)
Denver Broncos: 6-6 (4th place, AFC West)
Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Ben Burns is 9-3 L12 (10*) NFL! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.
Detroit Lions vs Denver Broncos Preview and Analysis
Recent Form
Detroit Lions: won at home on Dec. 5 against the Minnesota Vikings 29-27.
Denver Broncos: lost on the road on Dec. 5 against the Kansas City Chiefs 22-9.
Detroit Lions Analysis
The Lions are coming into this game with a 1-10-1 record overall and they are 0-5-1 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They just got their first win of the season in their last game which snapped a 2 game losing streak that they were on after a tie against the Pittsburgh Steelers a few weeks ago. Their 2 losses in that span were against the Cleveland Browns and the Chicago Bears while their win was against the Minnesota Vikings in their last game. Jared Goff completed 25/41 passes for 296 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. Jamaal Williams led the team in rushing with 71 yards on 17 carries. Amon-Ra St. Brown led the receivers with 86 yards and 1 touchdown on 10 receptions while Josh Reynolds was next with 69 yards on 4 receptions. T.J. Hockenson and Brock Wright both caught the other touchdown passes in that one with 1 each. Tracy Walker III led the defense in that game with 8 solo tackles and 3 assisted ones. Charles Harris led the defense in sacks in that game with 2 while no one on the defense was able to come up with an interception for the in that one. They have scored 203 points in their 12 games this season averaging 16.9 PPG and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 316 points against them allowing 26.3 PPG. Their offense is averaging 310.9 YPG while their defense is allowing 380.9 YPG.
Denver Broncos Analysis
The Broncos are coming into this game with a 6-6 record overall and they are 3-3 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They have lost 2 of their last 3 games and are coming into this one off of a loss in their last game. Their last win was against the Los Angeles Chargers while their 2 wins in that span came against the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs in their last game. Teddy Bridgewater completed 22/40 passes for 257 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Javonte Williams had a nice day on the ground as he led the team in rushing with 102 yards on 23 carries. Jerry Jeudy led the receivers with 77 yards on 4 receptions while Williams had 76 yards and 1 touchdown on 6 receptions. Baron Browning led the defense in that game with 7 solo tackles and 1 assisted one. Dre'Mont Jones recorded the only sack in that game while Patrick Surtain II came up with the only interception for them in that one. They have scored 237 points in their 12 games this season averaging 19.8 PPG and they have allowed their opponents to score 218 points against them allowing 18.2 PPG. Their offense is averaging 343.9 YPG while their defense is allowing 325.5 YPG.
Lions vs Broncos Prediction
The Lions are coming into this game as an 8 point underdog with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Lions are coming into this game off of their first win of the season and they should have a lot more confidence for this game after that win. The Lions have been staying close in most of their games and have had a chance to win a lot of them as a bunch have come down to the last few minutes. The Broncos do not have the strongest offense and the games they have won this season they won using their defense but they are not really a blow out kind of team. Even if they win this game it will not be by a lot and this is the kind of team that the Lions can stick around against as the Broncos do not have the strong offense to put teams away for good. The best bet to place in this game is on the Lions to cover the spread here.
Lions Broncos Prediction: Our NFL Pick for Sunday, December 12, 2021 (4:05 pm ET start time) is Broncos 23 Lions 20.
Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Detroit Lions Denver Broncos prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NFL predictions and previews.
NFL Betting Trends
Detroit Lions: 4-8 O/U in all games. 4-8 O/U as an underdog. 1-5 O/U as a road underdog. 1-5 O/U in road games. 1-7 O/U when playing with 6 or less days rest. 1-5 O/U off a win over a division rival as an underdog of 6 or more points.
Denver Broncos: 2-10 O/U in all games. 4-8 O/U as a favorite. 1-5 O/U in home games. 2-8 O/U in games played on a grass field. 1-8 O/U off 1 or more consecutive unders. 0-6 O/U after allowing 99 or less rushing yards in 2 straight games. 1-5 O/U after gaining 400 or more total yards in their previous game.
Key Injuries
Detroit Lions: D. Swift (RB) day-to-day - Shoulder injury. Q. Cephus (WR) I-R - Shoulder injury. E. Brown (C) Out indefinitely - Illness.
Denver Broncos: M. Gordon III (RB) day-to-day - Hip injury. M. Ojemudia (CB) day-to-day - Hamstring injury. M. Kiser (LB) day-to-day - Groin injury.
Notable Quotes
"It was actually crazy. They were 3 or 4 yards in the end zone." - Amon-Ra St. Brown on the game winning drive against the Vikings in their last game where he scored the winning TD.
"Frustrating. That's all I can really say. It would be nice to get points." - Courtland Sutton on their loss against the Chiefs in their last game.
Starting Lineups
Detroit Lions
WR Kalif Raymond
WR St. Brown, Amon-Ra
TE Hockenson, TJ
QB Goff, Jared
RB Swift, D'Andre
FB Cabinda, Jason
Denver Broncos
WR Sutton, Courtland
WR Patrick, Tim
TE Fant, Noah
TE Okwuegbunam, Albert
QB Bridgewater, Teddy
RB Williams, Javonte
FB Beck, Andrew
Statistical Leaders
Detroit Lions
Passing: J. Goff (2576)
Rushing: D. Swift (555)
Receiving: T. Hockenson (583)
Touchdowns: D. Swift (6)
Denver Broncos
Passing: T. Bridgewater (2775)
Rushing: J. Williams (670)
Receiving: C. Sutton (649)
Touchdowns: M. Gordon III (7)
Coaches:
Detroit Lions: Dan Campbell (1st season)
Denver Broncos: Vic Fangio (3rd season)
Amedeus Mastrangelo
About the Author:
Amedeus Mastrangelo has been heavily wagering on all sports for years and plays just about everything, including sides, totals, favorites, underdogs, against the spread, alternative spreads, first half, second half, player props, and futures. The bottom line is, if Mastrangelo can see an edge in any way shape or form, then he's going to take advantage.
