Detroit at New Orleans Week 13 Betting Pick & Prediction

The NFC North-leading Detroit Lions (7-4) have won three straight as they head down to the Crescent City to take on the New Orleans Saints (5-6) on Sunday afternoon. The Lions have taken down Minnesota twice with Jacksonville in the middle during their streak. The Saints made a powerful statement with a 49-21 pounding of Los Angeles a week ago, keeping them in the postseason picture. Check out our NFL picks for all of this weekend’s contests.

Detroit at New Orleans Week 13 Betting Pick & Prediction

#TBT: Re-live the #Lions‘ 2014 victory over the New Orleans @Saints: https://t.co/TBetoCdgbN pic.twitter.com/9qC0RzA1Ea

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 1, 2016

When: Sunday, December 4, 2016, 1:00pm ET Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans TV: FOX Radio: Detroit / New Orleans Live Stream: NFL Live NFL Odds: New Orleans (-5.5), O/U 53.5

Why should you bet on the Lions?

The Lions live and die by the pass, because their rushing game is basically nonexistent. Tailback Ameer Abdullah is still on the shelf with injury, which means that Theo Riddick is the featured back. The problem is that he barely averages four yards per attempt, so quarterback Matthew Stafford has to carry the burden for the offense. He has a solid touchdown-to- interception ratio (19:5) for the season. The Saints don’t play much defense against the passing game, so the Lions should be able to move the ball effectively.

Why should you put your money on the Saints?

New Orleans entered last week’s game against the Rams two games back in the NFC South and 1 ½ games behind Washington for the final wild card in the NFC. Unfortunately, despite their win over the Rams, the Saints still face those same tough numbers, this time with just five games left to play. Drew Brees plays extraordinarily well at home, and it’s not like the Lions have an ironclad defense against the pass either. If you bet on the Saints, you like that home crowd and the motivation of being pressed against the wall to motivate the Saints to put up another strong effort.

Betting Pick and Final Score Prediction

The Saints have beaten the spread in seven of their last eight games and in their last five games against NFC opponents. The Lions have only beaten the spread once in their last six contests against the Saints. Given that game is in New Orleans, where the Saints play much better, I like New Orleans to win, 31-27.