Ben Burns' ***VERY EARLY*** NFL AFTERNOON ANNIHILATOR!
DETROIT LIONS (+3) over Indianapolis Colts
Reason: I'm taking the points with DETROIT. As you know, the third game of the preseason typically sees the most playing time from the starters. With that being the case, the natural reaction is to assume that the Colts, who have been much better than the Lions for years, will have the advantage. However, I see things differently. Regardless of which week of the preseason, I believe that "motivation" plays a huge role in predicting pointspread winners. In this case, I believe that the Lions will prove to be the "hungrier" team. Yes, the Colts' starters will see their most playing time. Manning and co. still aren't likely to see much (if any) action in the second half though. That means that it will be Curtis Painter and/or Jim Sorgi running the show. While Sorgi is Manning's backup, he's missed the last two games. As for the Lions, they've got a QB battle on their hands with veteran Daunte Culpepper and No. 1 overall draft choice Matthew Stafford both attempting to win the starting job. Regardless of which one starts, I expect both to get plenty of time with the starting offense. In other words, I expect the Detroit starters to see more playing time than the Colts' starters. While both teams are 1-1 this preseason, the Colts are just 3-8 SU their last 11 preseason games, while the Lions are 7-3 SU during the same stretch. Note that the Lions also hold a 12-7-1 edge in their all-time preseason series with the Colts. I watched the Lions preseason opener vs. the Falcons, a game which was played here at Detroit. While the Lions failed to cover the spread in that game, they did play very hard and they did go all out for the victory, eventually earning a 27-26 decision. Back in front of the home fans and looking to provide them with some hope, I expect another highly motivated and hard fought effort from the Lions this afternoon. This time, I expect it to be enough to earn (at least) the cover. *7 Annihilator
Ben Burns 8/29
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