Detroit Lions vs Carolina Panthers Prediction, 12/24/2022 NFL Picks, Best Bets & Odds Week 16

Game: Detroit Lions vs Carolina Panthers

Date: Saturday, December 24, 2022

Location: Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC

TV: FOX

Odds/Point Spread: Panthers (+3)

Total/Over-Under: 44

The Detroit Lions (7-7) are on their way to Bank of America Stadium on Saturday where they will take on the Carolina Panthers (5-9). Detroit opens as 3-point favorites from oddsmakers. The over/under is 44.

The Detroit Lions come into this game with a record of 7-7 this season. The last time they took the field, the Lions took on the Jets and notched a win by a score of 20-17. Jared Goff went 23/38 with 252 yds passing and 1 touchdown. He had a quarterback rate of 88.9 and ended the contest without throwing a pick. Amon-Ra St. Brown had an average of 10.9 yards per catch by tallying 76 yards on 7 catches. D'Andre Swift was the rushing leader for the Lions with 8 attempts for 52 yards (6.5 yards per attempt). When all was said and done, they ran 66 plays which gave them a total of 359 yards. The Detroit Lions ran the ball 28 times and totaled 107 yards, which had them averaging 3.8 yards per carry. On the ground, the Lions conceded 50 yards on 22 attempts, which is an average of 2.3 yards per run surrendered. Detroit allowed 18 pass completions on 35 attempts for a total of 287 yards, and a completion rate of 51.4%.

In terms of scoring points, the Detroit Lions have an average of 26.4 points per outing. Offensively they hold an average of 126.1 yards on the ground which is 13th in the NFL. The Lions have racked up 5,252 total yards this season. Detroit has a total of 187 1st downs as a unit, and they have been called for 75 penalties for 626 yds. They have surrendered the football 14 different times (7 interceptions and 7 fumbles lost). When it comes to distribution of touchdowns, Detroit has earned 23 touchdowns through the air and 19 touchdowns via the ground.

The Lions are sitting in 31st in the National Football League in terms of team defense, allowing 26.0 PPG. They are giving up an average of 4.9 yards per rush and 133.4 yards on the ground per game over the course of this season. During the season, they have allowed 1,868 running yards through 14 contests. When it comes to yards via the pass, the Lions have surrendered 3,711 yards which ranks them 30th in the NFL. They have relinquished 265.1 yards per game through the air in addition to giving up a completion percentage of 64.1%. In total, they have given up 398.5 yards/outing which has them ranked 31st in the league. They have granted 23 touchdowns via the pass and 19 touchdowns pounding the rock.

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The Panthers head into this matchup 5-9 for this season. The last time they stepped on the gridiron, the Panthers walked away with a loss by a score of 24-16 against the Steelers. Sam Darnold (1 TD) ended the contest with 225 yards on 14/23 passing while his QB rate was 108.1. He didn't toss any interceptions and his avg yards per attempt was 9.8 yds. D.J. Moore was one of the featured targets for the Panthers, grabbing 5 balls for 73 yds (14.6 yds per catch). Chuba Hubbard ran the ball 4 times for 10 yds, walking away from the contest with 2.5 yds per attempt for Carolina. The Panthers finished the game with 209 yards while running 43 plays (4.9 yards per play). Carolina ran the football for 1.3 yds per carry, finishing with 21 yards on 16 carries. Carolina gave up 45 attempts on the ground for 156 yards (3.5 yards per rush). The Panthers passing defense conceded a completion rate of 77.3%, relinquishing 169 yards on 17 out of 22 passing.

Concerning this team's ability to score points, the Panthers rank 24th in the NFL with 19.7 points per contest. Over the course of the season to this point, the Panthers have earned 2,388 yards through the air along with an average of 170.6 passing yards per game, ranking them 30th in the league. They are averaging 117.5 rushing yards per game and have rushed for 1,645 yards for the season. The Carolina Panthers hold an average of 288.1 yards per outing which has them ranked 30th in football. The Carolina offense has totaled 710 yds of penalties on 84 violations, which ranks 12th in the league in terms of giving up free yards. They have thrown 10 interceptions while surrendering 6 fumbles and they have been able to earn 108 1st downs.

The Panthers are relinquishing 22.4 points per contest, which has them in 15th of all teams in the NFL. They have surrendered 18 touchdowns from the passing game and 211.4 yards/game, which has them ranked 14th in the league. Over the course of the season, they have conceded 314 points in total. Carolina has given up a total of 1,830 yards on the ground (130.7 yards/game) in addition to 16 touchdowns via the rush this season. The Panthers defense taken the field for 911 plays, which ranks 26th in the league. They have compiled 14 turnovers (4 fumbles and 10 interceptions) on the campaign.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Lions -3

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