Lions vs. Cowboys: Updated Odds, Viewing Info and Prediction for Wild-Card Bout: The Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions meet in the final Wild Card Game of 2015, and this matchup has already received plenty of media attention. Following a loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 17, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was suspended by the league for one game. However, after winning his appeal, Suh was fined $70,000 but allowed to play Sunday against Dallas. With the dangerous defensive tackle back in the fold, Detroits top-ranked run defense will now have its best player when it comes face to face with DeMarco Murray, the NFLs rushing leader. The Lions allowed a league-low 69.3 rushing yards per game this season, and Murray racked up 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns, eclipsing the 100-yard mark 12 times in the process. As the No. 6 seed, the Lions would move on to face the Seattle Seahawks with a win. At No. 3, the Cowboys would face the Green Bay Packers no matter the result of the NFCs other wild-card contest. Before these squads take the gridiron once again, heres a look at the games complete viewing information and updated odds, followed by a prediction for its ultimate outcome. Game Information When: Sunday, January 4 Where: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas Time: 4:40 p.m. ET Channel: Fox Live Stream: Fox Sports Go Betting Info (via Odds Shark): * Over/Under: 48 * Spread: Cowboys -6.5 Preview and Prediction The Lions are the superior team on the defensive side of the ball—thats not a hard fact to argue. They finished the regular season ranked first against the run, 13th against the pass, second in total defense, eighth in sacks and third in points allowed. Yeah, thats pretty good. Although, for as consistently good as the teams defense has been, its offense has been exactly as inconsistent. Following a Week 9 bye, the Lions ended their season with a 5-3 record, good enough to earn a playoff berth. However, the offense sputtered on several occasions down that stretch, failing to score more than 20 points in six of those eight games. The absence of Calvin Johnson would have been a likely culprit, as the All-Pro wide receiver did miss time earlier in the season, but he was present for each of those contests. The issue appeared to be inconsistent usage due to a lack of coordination between the receiver and quarterback Matthew Stafford. During that stretch, Johnson eclipsed 100 yards four times, but he also recorded fewer than 60 yards four times. Detroit doesnt have much of a running game to speak of, ranking 28th in the league and featuring a ball-carrier in Joique Bell who didnt eclipse the 100-yard mark at all this season. The Cowboys have been stout against the run this year, ranking eighth in that category, so we shouldnt expect much of a ground game from the Lions. So, that brings us to the burning question: Can the Lions find some consistency on offense and take advantage of Dallas 26th-ranked pass defense? Thats the concern for Detroit heading into this contest, and this statistic from ESPN Stats & Info doesnt bode well: On the flip side, we have a Cowboys offense that has been firing on all cylinders of late. Even when he doesnt gain 100 yards, Murray has been the teams workhorse, carrying 20 times or more in all but three contests this season. This forces opposing defenses to stack the box against the run and provides larger passing lanes for quarterback Tony Romo. Just how effective has this strategy been for Dallas? Well, this season, Romo completed 69.9 percent of his passes (a career high) for 3,705 yards, 34 touchdowns (most since 2007), nine interceptions (fewest since 2010) and a passer rating of 113.2 (a career high). Thats the definition of efficient. It seems as though the Cowboys have only improved as the season has rolled along. The team ended the regular season on a four-game winning streak, accumulating at least 38 points in each of those contests. That propelled them to a season-long scoring average of 29.2 points per game, good enough for fifth in the NFL and just 1.2 points per game shy of the high-octane Green Bay Packers. Romo was absolutely on point during that stretch as well. Here are his December numbers, via NFL on ESPN: The winner of this game will be the team that better takes advantage of its opponents weaknesses while maximizing its own strengths. Due to Dallas efficiency against the run, it can force Detroits offense to be one-dimensional, making it easier to sit back in coverage against an inconsistent Stafford and limiting the Lions scoring opportunities. This approach should allow the potent Cowboys offense to spend enough time on the field and get enough points on the board to come away with the win. Prediction: Cowboys 27, Lions 20 Read more NFL news on BleacherReport #Football #NFL #NFLPlayoffs #PreviewPrediction
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 16:31:15 +0000
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