The Atlanta Falcons travel to Detroit to face the Lions in a special session of Saturday night football. Kickoff is at 8:30 p.m. ET and we have predictions for this game.
The Falcons are coming off a gigantic victory over the New York Giants. It wasn't even close. They will take this momentum into this ball game, but the hype from that victory will create a hangover that will allow the Lions to remain in the matchup.
Though the Lions are boasting one of the worst records in the NFL at 4-10, they rack up yardage week after week. Stafford has the best arm in the league hurling, on average, 302 yards per game, which has led to a lot of high scoring matchups this season.
However, despite Stafford's No. 1 passing offense, the Lions haven't had enough points to win a game since Week 9.
This is why the Falcons possess the edge in this game. The Lions haven't been able to close out games all season long, but the Falcons have. In fact, the Falcons' 12-2 record has been questioned by many analysts because they put numerous final drives together for victories. Sunday's victory over the Giants was a win with an exclamation point, 34-0. Their most dominant performance of 2012.
Expect the Lions to come out firing at home and give the Falcons a solid battle. At the end of the day, Matt Ryan will take his trio of receivers, the best in the NFL, and beat the Lions.
Tony Gonzalez is still unstoppable and there's not enough to say about Roddy White and Julio Jones. Michael Turner showed us he can run with power as the Falcons used him heavily in early plays.
Final Score Prediction: Matt Ryan will need 300 to win this one and will throw three touchdowns. Expect Matt Stafford to hng around, but not be able to finish off the Falcons.
Atlanta wins 37-27.
