The Raiders and Lions are in Detroit tonight to wrap up Week 8 on Monday Night Football! Both teams lost by double digits last week, so they’ll be looking to get back on track tonight in primetime. Heading into the tilt, the Lions are 7-point favorites and the over/under is set at 46.5 points.
The Raiders
Jimmy Garoppolo is back for the Raiders tonight as they look to avoid falling to 3-5 on the season. Garoppolo is certainly the best option at quarterback for the Raiders, but he’ll need to turn in a great performance to keep up with the Lions tonight. If this offence wants to put up points, he’ll need to get the ball to Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers as often as possible. Adams is still one of the best receivers in the league, and he should be making at least seven or eight catches every night. In the run game, Josh Jacobs certainly hasn’t had the same success he did last year, and against Detroit’s run defence, it may be tough sledding again.
Defensively, the Raiders will need a big night from Maxx Crosby. Crosby really is the game-breaker on this unit and if he can’t find ways to disrupt the opposition, the Raiders become a very vulnerable defence. Last week, Jared Goff was harassed by the Ravens all game, and the Lions struggled because of it. Tonight, the Raiders should try to replicate that with Crosby.
The Lions
I expect Dan Campbell’s Lions to come out hungry at home tonight. The team got embarrassed by Baltimore last week and winning in primetime would be a great way to get over that. Star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is currently questionable due to illness, but even if he can’t play, Jared Goff should have a much easier day throwing the ball against this Raiders defence. With David Montgomery missing another week as well, I expect to see a lot of Jahmyr Gibbs in both the passing and rushing game. In his first game without Montgomery last week, Gibbs had nine receptions for 58 yards. Get the rookie the ball!
On the other side of the ball, Detroit will also be looking to get at the quarterback early and often. Davante Adams will certainly be the focus in the pass game, but if they can rush Jimmy G in the pocket, at least it’ll be tougher to get Adams the ball. Look for big games from their stars Aiden Hutchinson and Alex Anzalone. Although he hasn’t been as good this season, containing Josh Jacobs should be a focus for the defence as well. Jacobs can still make a huge difference on the ground any time he gets the ball.
Raiders and Lions: The Pick
I don’t think the Raiders are a very good team and I think the Lions are. Add to that the fact that Detroit is playing in front of a home crowd after an embarrassing loss, and I think there’s a good chance that this game won’t be close. In this game between the Raiders and Lions, I’ll take the home team to score a lot and cover the 7-point spread in the process.
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