The long wait is finally over for the Detroit Lions, who clinched their first win of the season against the Minnesota Vikings in a Week 13 thriller. They will vie for back-to-back wins this Sunday when they travel to Colorado to face the Denver Broncos. Here's our breakdown of the Lions vs Broncos matchup.
Detroit Lions installed as +8.5 underdogs
The Detroit Lions are winless no more. Dan Campbell finally notched his first win as Lions head coach on Sunday, with Detroit recording a thrilling 29-27 victory over Minnesota at Ford Field. Jared Goff made the play of the season for the Lions, throwing an 11-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown as time expired to give Detroit the much-needed victory.
Goff and St. Brown took advantage of Minnesota's secondary playing too deep in the end zone to connect on the game-winning pass. Sunday's victory ended Detroit's 15-game winless skid that lasted 364 days. The Lions' last win came in the 2020 season against the Bears at Chicago.
The victory did not come easy for the Lions, who once again came close to producing their patented collapse. After the first two quarters, they built a 20-6 advantage and even held a 23-15 lead going into the fourth quarter. That lead, however, evaporated quickly, with Minnesota scoring two consecutive touchdowns to grab a four-point advantage.
But Goff made sure the Lions would not buckle, leading Detroit to a 75-yard touchdown drive in the final 1:50 of the contest. Goff completed 25 of 41 passes for 296 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. He had lost 12 straight starts before Week 13, the longest skid by a quarterback selected with the top pick in the NFL draft.
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Denver Broncos enter Week 14 as -8.5 favorites
The Denver Broncos lost for the sixth time in nine games, suffering a 22-9 defeat at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs. They have now lost their last 12 games against the Chiefs, dating back to the 2015 season. The Broncos are now 3-20 when playing in Kansas City in December.
This one stings a bit more for the Broncos, as they had a grand opportunity to grab a share of the lead with the Chiefs in the AFC West standings. That did not transpire as the Broncos lost more ground to their division rivals in the race for the AFC West title. They trail the Chiefs by two games heading into Week 14.
To make matters worse for the Broncos, they dropped out of the playoff picture with the loss to Kansas City. They are now sitting in 12th place in the AFC standings with a 6-6 record. The good news for Denver is that it is just one game behind the teams who are in the fifth to seventh spots.
For Denver to grab the vital win against Detroit, it needs a much-improved showing from Teddy Bridgewater. He struggled mightily against the Chiefs in Week 13, completing just 22 of 40 passes for 257 yards with one touchdown and a couple of interceptions.
Writer's Prediction
Denver wins, but Detroit covers the spread.
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