Online Betting Overview The line keeps changing on this game because of the adventures of Detroit defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh. Earlier in the week, the line was closer because the Suh suspension had not bee given yet. When the two-game suspension hit, the line changed again. When Suh appealed his suspension, the line shrunk yet again. Now that it has been established that Ndamukong Suh will not play in this game, the line has ballooned to nine points. The price per head sports odds makers are putting a lot of stock into Suh’s abilities and kind of downplaying the significance of the rest of the Detroit defensive line. But as the Lions continue to fall further down the NFC standings, Suh’s departure is a very significant event. Ndamukong Suh has 31 tackles and three sacks in 11 games played. Many would argue that his numbers do not warrant such attention. But the reason that Suh’s numbers are so low is because the opposing offense continually stays away from Suh’s side of the field. He doesn’t have a large number of sacks because he is continually getting double and triple-teamed at the line. At some point, Suh will learn how to beat the double-team blocking and start really racking up sack numbers. But without Suh in the line up, the Detroit defense becomes easier to game plan against. Offensive coordinators do not need to constantly shift the offense to try and stay away from Suh. Drew Brees and the Saints don’t need any help winning games, but Suh’s stomp on Thanksgiving Day provided one of the things that New Orleans needed to win this game. New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees has 3,689 passing yards and 27 touchdowns in 11 games played. At this pace, Brees will obliterate the single-season passing record by throwing for nearly 5,400 yards. His projected 40 touchdown passes aren’t that bad either. The Saints don’t need a running game with a quarterback like Brees. But the bookie software has the Saints’ running game ranked eighth in the league. If the Saints had a defense better than the 25th ranked unit that they have now, it would be the Saints holding on to an undefeated record. Detroit Lions The betonline Internet odds makers remember that it was not too long ago that the Detroit Lions were an 0-16 team. Actually, it was only three years ago. Detroit fans have been so passionate for a winning football team that they forget how young this current Lions’ team is. The Detroit Lions are 7-4 and improving rapidly. All this Detroit team needs is time to become a better unit. The Lions will make a good showing in this game, but the fans hope that the Lions pay attention to how the Saints’ offense plays and learns a few things for next season. New Orleans Saints NFL fans never know what to expect when their team has a great offense but a horrible defense. The top two teams in the NFC, the Saints and Green Bay Packers, both have great offenses but not-so-great defenses. In the regular season, both the Saints and Packers will do just fine with what they have. But if defense wins championships, then the Saints need to work on its defense before the playoffs start. The Bottom Line The Lions need to pay close attention to how the Saints play this game. A team with the Saints’ offense and the Lions’ defense would be a Super Bowl contender. If the Lions keep going, then that could describe the Lions next season. Pick: New Orleans Saints
