On Sunday afternoon, the Detroit Lions (6-6) will square off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-8) in what is a “must-win” game for the Lions if they want any chance at finding their way into the NFL Playoffs.
In general, the point spread for NFL games are usually up by Tuesday at the lastest, but that was not the case this week for the Lions vs. Buccaneers as a key player’s status was up in the air.
In the fourth quarter of last Sunday’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford had his hand inadvertently stepped on by Ravens defender, Terrell Suggs. The result of the play was Stafford having to leave for the remainder of the game, with the hopes he did not suffer serious damage to his throwing hand.
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Throughout the week, the Lions have been very cautious with their signal caller with the hopes he will be good to go against the Bucs on Sunday afternoon.
Well, on Saturday night, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that Stafford is “expected to start” against Tampa Bay, “barring an unforeseen setback” prior to the game.
After seeing his throwing hand improve by the day, #Lions QB Matthew Stafford is expected to start on Sunday vs. the #Bucs, source said, barring an unforeseen setback.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 10, 2017
That news was enough for the sportsbooks to release a point spread for the game and according to Bovada, the Lions are listed as a 3-point favorite on the road, while the Over/Under is currently set at 45.
If the Lions are able to go on the road and beat the Buccaneers, they would move to 7-6 on the season, keeping their “slim” NFL Playoff hopes alive for another week.
