Philadelphia Eagles(0-1,0-1 ATS) vs.Detroit Lions(0-1,1-0 ATS), Week2NFL Football, Ford Field, (Field Turf)Detroit Michigan, Sunday, September 19th, 2010, 1:00 PM Eastern
By Jeff Hochman of JHSportsline.com
Betting Odds:Philly -4.5/Det +4.5
Over/Under:41.5
The Eagles take to the road looking to make amends for last week’s home-opening loss while the Lions return home after last week’s tough lastminuteloss on astrange rule technicality. Detroit has now lost21 straight games on the road. I guess Tom Boddet doesn’t leave the light on!
The biggest play of the game was the Calvin Johnson Touchdown that was called back. If yousaw the play then you know that the Lions got robbed. Not by the officials, but by the NFL rulebook. Calvin Johnson made the catch and landed in the end zone safely and as he was about to get up and celebrate the ball made contact with the ground and fell out of his hand. It’s got to be the stupidest rule in the NFL, but the refs did what they are supposed to do and enforce the rules.
In their first game since trading Donovan McNabb to the Redskins, the Eagles started with Kevin Kolb and finished with MichaelVick. Kolb left with a concussion at halftime, so Vick played meaningful snaps for an extended period for the first time in nearly four years. He looked like his old “glory”days from Atlanta. Vick, a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback during six seasons in Atlanta, invigorated an offense that was awful in the first half. He finished with 175 yards passing and ran for 103, while avoiding numerous tackles.
The Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions could be without their starting quarterbacks in this game as Kevin Kolb is listed as “Doubtful” while Matthew Stafford is listed as “Questionable.” Neither quarterback is expected to suit up in this one so it will be up toMichael Vick and Shaun Hill to run the offense. Both quarterbacks led their teams to rallies last week, before coming up short in the waning moments.
The Eagles allowed 27 points to the Packers and you can bet Andy Reid is not a happy camper. Detroit allowed 463 yards of offense but held the Bears to “just”19 points. The Lions defense showed a lot of heart as their goal-line defense had a big stop late in the game. It was nice to see head coachJim Schwartz not blame the officials for their loss. This guy is a class act,good coach, and has his team playing better than when he first got there. The Lions are one of my Top 5 NFL teams to “play on” this season. If you haven’t read that exclusive article you can only view it at www.predictem.com. (Top 5 NFL Teams to Bet on in 2010)
Jeff’s Pickto Cover the Point Spread: Detroit Lions +4.5.
Jo Public is all over the Eagles in this game but as Lee Corso would say, Not so fast my friend. Shawn Hill will be seeing blitzes from every angle, but the Lions know that and will look to counter with delays and screens. Look for Jahvid Best and the home crowdto play a major role in this game. Take the Lions plus the points in their home opener!
