The Patriots are looking like the best team in the AFC and will try to improve their record when they host one of the top teams from the NFC on Sunday.
The Pats and their six-game winning streak will face the Detroit Lions, who are 7-3 but coming off a loss to the Arizona Cardinals. This will be an interesting matchup of opposite strengths because the Patriots have the second-highest scoring team in football, while the Lions are holding opponents to the fewest points in the league.
The Patriots are second in the NFL with 32.3 points per game and seventh with 380.6 yards per game. The biggest difference for them entering Week 12 is their running game; Jonas Gray rushed for 201 yards and four touchdowns in a huge Sunday night win over the Indianapolis Colts. Not only do the Pats have a strong passing offense, but now they also have a running game. Perhaps the injury to Stevan Ridley wasn’t the worst thing for them.
Since everyone doubted him after a Week 4 blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football, Tom Brady has been hot. He has thrown for 20 touchdowns and just three interceptions since then (all three have come in the last two games), and he has averaged 310 yards per game. It’s no coincidence that the Pats have won all six of the games. Rob Gronkowski has also caught six touchdowns and posted three 100-yard games during the streak. The Pats’ offense has really been rolling.
Conversely, Detroit’s offense hasn’t been as explosive as past years. They’ve dealt with injuries to Reggie Bush and Calvin Johnson, and they’re only 26th with 18.8 points per game and 21st with 332.3 yards per game. Luckily they haven’t needed the huge offense.
Detroit leads the NFL with the fewest points allowed per game at 15.6, which is a full point and a half better than the next best team. They have been the most difficult team in the league to run on, leading all 32 squads with just 68.8 yards allowed per game. That means New England will probably try to throw to have success, which shouldn’t be a bad thing. The weather should not be a factor in the game, though if it were to snow, Brady is excellent in those conditions.
Given that Detroit’s offense generally performs better at home in their dome rather than outdoors on the road, we’re favoring the Patriots to take this. It just won’t be as easy for New England to put up points against this defense.
