Detroit Lions vs Atlanta Falcons Prediction, 12/26/2021 NFL Picks, Best Bets & Odds Week 16

Game: Detroit Lions vs Atlanta Falcons

Date: Sunday, December 26, 2021

Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA

TV: FOX

Odds/Point Spread: Falcons (-4.5)

Total/Over-Under: 44

The Atlanta Falcons (6-8) host the Detroit Lions (2-11-1) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday. Atlanta opens this contest as 4.5-point favorites. The total comes in at 44.

The Detroit Lions come into this game with a record of 2-11-1 this season. In their last contest, the Lions played the Cardinals and walked away with a win by a score of 30-12. Jared Goff went 21/26 with 216 yds passing and 3 TDs. He had a QB rating of 139.7 and finished the contest with no picks. Amon-Ra St. Brown had an average of 11.3 yards per catch by totaling 90 yds on 8 receptions. Craig Reynolds led the offense in rushing for the Lions with 26 carries for 112 yards (4.3 yards per carry). Once the final whistle blew, they tallied 62 plays which totaled 338 yards. The Detroit Lions ended up rushing 34 times and accumulated 126 yds, which had them averaging 3.7 yds per attempt. When it came to the battle of the line of scrimmage, the Lions conceded 105 yards on 21 tries, which is an average of 5.0 yds per rush allowed. Detroit allowed 29 pass completions on 50 attempts for a total of 293 yards, and a completion rate of 58.0%.

When it comes to scoring, the Detroit Lions are averaging 17.4 points per game. As a team they're averaging 111.6 yards via the ground game ranking them 17th in the NFL. The Lions have tallied 4,385 total yards this season. Detroit has compiled 157 first downs, and they have committed 93 infractions for 749 yards. They have turned the ball over 19 times (10 interceptions and 9 fumbles). When it comes to distribution of touchdowns, Detroit has earned 17 touchdowns through the air and 9 rushing touchdowns.

The Lions are sitting in 26th in the NFL when it comes to the opposition scoring, allowing 26.1 PPG. The opposition is running for an average of 4.3 yards per rush and 133.0 yards on the ground per game for the season. Overall, they have allowed 1,862 rushing yards through 14 games. Regarding yards through the air, the Lions have conceded 3,465 yards which ranks them 27th in football. They have relinquished 247.5 yards per game via the pass as well as giving up a completion percentage of 65.1%. Overall, they have yielded 380.5 yards per game which puts them 29th in the National Football League. They have given up 23 touchdowns by air as well as 15 touchdowns running the ball.

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The Falcons head into this game 6-8 for this season. In their last game, the Falcons went home defeated by a final of 31-13 against the 49ers. Matt Ryan (1 TD) walked away from the game with 236 yards on 19/32 through the air while his QB rate was 92.7. He kept the ball away from the defense with no picks and his avg yards per attempt was 7.38 yards. Mike Davis ran the football 6 times for 21 yds, walking away from the contest with 3.5 yards per attempt for Atlanta. Russell Gage was one of the featured targets for the Falcons, snagging 8 footballs for 91 yards (11.4 yds per reception). Atlanta rushed for 2.7 yards per tote, finishing the contest with 62 yards on 23 attempts. The Falcons ended up finishing with 275 yds while running 58 plays (4.7 yards per play). The Falcons passing defense gave up a completion rate of 75.0%, surrendering 235 yards on 18 out of 24 through the air. Atlanta surrendered 32 run attempts for 162 yds (5.1 yds per carry).

When it comes to the points being put on the board, the Falcons are 26th in the NFL by scoring 18.4 points per contest. During this campaign so far, the Falcons have thrown for a total of 3,142 passing yards as well as an average of 224.4 passing yards per game, which ranks 18th in the NFL. They have an average of 89.0 rushing yards per game and have run for 1,246 yards for this year. The Atlanta Falcons have an average of 313.4 yards/contest which has them ranked 24th in the league. The Atlanta offense has 665 yds of penalties on 81 infractions, ranking them 24th in the league in terms of hurting your team. They have thrown 14 picks while losing 7 fumbles and they have been able to obtain 168 1st downs.

Atlanta has allowed a total of 1,684 yards rushing (120.3 yards/game) as well as 15 touchdowns by way of the ground game this year. They have given up 27 touchdowns via the pass as well as 246.6 yards per contest, ranking them 24th in football. They have tallied 16 takeaways (8 fumbles recovered and 8 picks) so far this season. Over the course of the season, they have conceded 384 points in total. The Falcons defense has participated in 904 plays, ranking them 24th in football. The Falcons are giving up 27.4 points per game, which has them sitting 30th in football.

Who will win tonight's Lions/Falcons NFL game against the spread?

Parlays Pundit's Pick: Take the Falcons -4.5 and over 44 total points

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