Experts continue to sleep on Lions against the Colts in Week 8
The Detroit Lions (3-3) are heading home to face the Indianapolis Colts (4-2) in hopes of extending their two-game winning streak and staying in the playoff hunt.
The Lions got the better of the Colts with a 39-35 last-second victory back in 2016 and are hoping for a repeat performance today.
The cardiac cats made a comeback last week to pull out a last-second victory against the Atlanta Falcons, while the Colts had an extra week to prepare on their bye week. The Lions have looked improved as of late, but not enough for the experts, apparently.
According to NFL Pickwatch, 78-percent of experts favor the Colts on the road and spoil the Lions home return at the time of this writing. With this game looking like a close contest, most would have guessed this game to be a more even split, but that’s not the case as the Colts are being heavily favored.
The Colts are one of the more balanced teams and have a 4-2 record, but their schedule has been the easiest so far this season per Football Outsider’s efficiency rankings. The Colts’ opponents: Jaguars, Vikings, Jets, Bears, Browns, and Bengals are a combined record of 13-27 with ten of those wins coming from the Bears and Browns, and the Colts lost to the Browns 32-23.
On the other side of the coin, the Lions have victories over the Cardinals, Falcons, and Jaguars, whom the Colts lost to in their season opener. Outside of the Packers game, the Lions have been in every contest with the chance to pull out a victory. If it weren’t for an ill-timed drop against the Bears, we would be having a very different discussion with the Lions holding at 4-2 record and right in the division title race.
The Colts have a strong veteran presence in Philip Rivers and an offensive line that houses one of the better center-guard combos in the league. The receiving corps hasn’t been what the Colts have wanted so far, but with T.Y. Hilton in the wings, the potential for breaking out is always there. The Colts’ defense is balanced across the board, but their two stars, DeForest Buckner and Darius Leonard, are the glue that holds them together.
You can make the argument that Matthew Stafford is easily the best quarterback they will face at this juncture. He has his ups and downs this season, not having played for nearly a year, but he has looked more like himself recently, especially the poise he showed last week, leading the Lions to their third victory. On top of the defense’s continued improvement, this team is looking more on the up and up than a decline.
The Lions need to play smart, fundamental football against the Colts. As long as they continue to play the way they have been the last couple of weeks, along with nailing the key areas in this week’s Honolulu Blueprint, they will have a chance to get his home victory and extend their winning steak to three.
