Free Daily NCAAF Lock Pick, Friday October 20th: SMU vs Temple 7:00pmET
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Two of the NFL's best will battle in Baltimore this Sunday afternoon. The Detroit Lions (5-1; 5-1-0 ATS) will remain on the road to take on the Baltimore Ravens (4-2; 4-2-0 ATS). These teams last met in 2021, when Justin Tucker nailed an NFL-record 66-yard field goal to give the Ravens a win. Neither team should want a kick that long to determine this year's matchup. When this game kicks off at 1:00 p.m. EDT, it'll be a must-see matchup. What will happen inside of M&T Bank Stadium this weekend?
With a 5-1 record and signature win over the defending champion Chiefs, Detroit has a claim as valid as any other team for the NFL's best squad. Speaking of that Chiefs victory, it came on the road, as did last week's Lions win over the Bucs that brought them to 3-0 in away games. Detroit has scored at least 20 points in every game, including the two aforementioned bouts against top-10 scoring defenses. Averaging 28.0 points per game, the Lions are fourth in the NFL scoring-wise. They're also third in yards per game and fourth in yards per play. Jared Goff enters Week 7 with the fifth-most passing yards. He gains 8.0 yards per attempt, has 11 touchdowns, three interceptions, and has only been sacked 10 times. Detroit's running backs are banged-up, but they're seventh league-wide in rushing yards with a modest 4.0 yards per carry average. As long as they continue to protect the ball moderately well (6 g iveaways so far), Detroit shouldn't have issues moving the chains consistently.
The greatest difference between last year's Lions and 2023's is that the defense this season is sturdy. Giving up 18.8 points per game (9th), 285.5 yards per game (7th), and 4.7 yards per play (5th), Detroit's defense has emerged to make this team truly formidable. That includes games against Kansas City and Seattle, two top-10 scoring teams, to begin the season. It begins on the ground, where the Lions have allowed the fewest yards and the second-fewest yards per carry. That will be huge against the Ravens this weekend. Adding to that, they're only allowing 6.3 yards per pass attempt (7th). Detroit has come up with eight takeaways, six of them being interceptions, while Aidan Hutchinson has 4.5 of the team's 15 sacks. 2023 is shaping up to be a special year in the Motor City.
Free Daily NCAAF Lock Pick, Friday October 20th: SMU vs Temple 7:00pmET CLICK TO SEE PICK NOW