The Detroit Lions have won their past three against New Orleans, but they had Matthew Stafford for those games. It’s no sure thing that the former No. 1 overall pick plays in the Big Easy on Sunday. The Saints are currently NFL Week 6 betting favorites at MyBookie and that line would grow if Stafford sits.
The Saints’ defense has been much improved since back-to-back terrible games to open the season. They’ve given up an average of 19.5 points, tied for 12th fewest in the league. They were one of the worst defenses in the league the last three years, allowing 26.5, 29.8 and 28.4 points per game from 2014-16 to rank 28th, 32nd and 31strespectively those years.
Two rookies have been plugged in as starters in the secondary with Marshon Lattimore at cornerback and Marcus Williams at free safety. Up front, Cameron Jordan’s three sacks lead a pass rush that has 11 sacks and ranks ninth in the league in sacks per play.
NFL Week 6 Betting Preview: Detroit at New Orleans Lines & Pick
When: Sunday, 1 PM ET Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome TV: Fox Radio: WJR 760 AM (Detroit) / WWL 870 AM (New Orleans) Stream Option: NFL Live Opening NFL Week 6 Betting Lines: Saints -5 (50.5)Saints defense showing improvement in recent weeks. #DETvsNO 📹 @sportstori: https://t.co/C0ayTrD98K pic.twitter.com/jPFe3Noh5O
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 13, 2017
Betting Analysis on 49ers vs. Redskins NFL Week 6 Spread
Weather Forecast
- Chance of Thunderstorm: 29°C/84°F
- Humidity: 76%
- Precipitation: 52%
- Wind: 8 mph ENE
- Cloud Cover: 50%
- Type of Stadium: Indoor
Last Meeting
In Week 13 of last season, Detroit won in New Orleans 28-13. Stafford passed for 341 yards and two touchdowns. Golden Tate exploited a coverage breakdown on third-and-long for a 66-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter when Detroit was clinging to a six-point lead. The Lions became the first team in 60 Saints home games to stop Drew Brees from completing a touchdown pass. Brees finished 31 of 44 for 326 yards and was intercepted three times. The Lions outgains the Saints 422 yards to 369, and also controlled time of possession, 36:52 to 23:08 while running 67 plays to New Orleans’ 57. The Saints and the Lions have met 25 times (including one postseason game), with the Lions winning 12 games and the Saints winning 12 games. They have tied once.Latest NFL Week 6 Betting Trends
- Detroit is 3-7 ATS in the last 10 games
- Detroit is 3-6 SU in the last 9 games
- The total went UNDER in 11 of Detroit’s last 16 games
- New Orleans is 5-2 ATS in the last 7 games
- The total went OVER in 6 of New Orleans’s last 7 games
Why Bet On Detroit?
Only if Stafford plays. The NFL’s highest-paid player suffered a hamstring injury and a sprained ankle in Detroit’s 27-24 loss to Carolina last week. Stafford has been sacked 12 times in the past two weeks, including six times vs. the Panthers. He has completed 64.2 percent of his passes this season for 1,116 yards, nine touchdowns and one interception. Stafford has started as Detroit’s quarterback in every game since the start of the 2011 season. Stafford practiced on his injured right ankle for a second straight day Thursday and it looks like he will make a 102nd straight start. However, reports are that appeared to be slowed by the injury. He moved around less than usual during the 20 minutes of practice open to reporters, and had a hitch in his step when he ran between drills. He also took everything out of a shotgun rather than dropping back. So he could be in shotgun all day Sunday. Stafford has taken 62 percent of his snaps out of the shotgun looks this year, which is 13th in the league. If Stafford is unable to play Sunday, the Lions will look to Jake Rudock. Rudock is a two-year vet who completed 37 of 56 passes in the 2017 preseason, and has played in one regular season game against the Arizona Cardinals. Where the Lions offense is lacking (28th in total yards), the defense is picking up the slack. The Lions defense held Carolina to 28 rushing yards on 28 carries. Defensively the Lions rank No. 20 in total yards with 1,652.Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 24.60
- Total Yards: 288.20
- Rush Yards: 87.60
- Passing Yards: 200.60
- Average Score Against: 19.40
- Total Yards: 330.60
- Rush Yards: 74.60
- Passing Yards: 256
Why Bet On New Orleans?
The New Orleans Saints this week traded running back Adrian Peterson to Arizona for a conditional draft pick, but that’s not much of a loss for New Orleans. Peterson, 32, had 27 carries for 81 yards — an average of 3.0 yards per carry — in four games during his first season with the Saints (2-2). His longest run was 11 yards. New Orleans is about as healthy as possible coming off its bye. If the Saints don’t turn the ball over Sunday against the Lions, they will become the first team in NFL history with no turnovers in the first five games of a season. The Saints have been just OK in giveaways during the Brees-Sean Payton era. But they haven’t been great during their string of three straight 7-9 seasons. Their 74 turnovers over the past three years (24.7 per season) are tied for the 13th most in the NFL over that span. The Lions defense ranks third in the NFL this year with 11 takeaways.
The Saints’ defense has been much improved since back-to-back terrible games to open the season. They’ve given up an average of 19.5 points, tied for 12th fewest in the league. They were one of the worst defenses in the league the last three years, allowing 26.5, 29.8 and 28.4 points per game from 2014-16 to rank 28th, 32nd and 31strespectively those years.
Two rookies have been plugged in as starters in the secondary with Marshon Lattimore at cornerback and Marcus Williams at free safety. Up front, Cameron Jordan’s three sacks lead a pass rush that has 11 sacks and ranks ninth in the league in sacks per play.
Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 23.25
- Total Yards: 370.50
- Rush Yards: 94
- Passing Yards: 276.50
- Average Score Against: 19.50
- Total Yards: 374.75
- Rush Yards: 109.50
- Passing Yards: 265.25
Series History
- Total Meetings: 25
- First Meeting: November 24th, 1968. Tiger Stadium. Detroit, Michigan
- Last Meeting: December 4th, 2016. Mercedes-Benz Superdome. New Orleans, Louisiana
- All-Time Series: Tied 12-12-1
- Largest Margin of Victory: New Orleans Saints 42-7 (2008)
- Longest Win Streak: Tied 3
- Current Win Streak: Detroit 3 (2014-2016)
