Stevenson to Bail Out Zappe

The New England Patriots host the Detroit Lions on Sunday, October 9th, for the 5th week of the NFL season. This game will be played at Gillette Stadium at 1:00 pm. The last time Detroit and New England played each other was back in 2018 when the Lions won at home by a final score of 26-10. Heading into this game, the Patriots have a home record of 0-1 while the Lions have a road record of 0-1. The odds for this game are currently set at –175 Patriots, +148 Lions, and the over/under is 45.5 according to Caesars Casino & Sportsbook. New users will receive a Risk-Free Bet of up to $1250 on their first wager. When you make your first bet, if it loses, it’s on the house as Caesars will refund any losing wagers in full (up to $1250 in the form of a single-use bonus credit Plus Caesar’s is adding 1,000 Reward Credits and 1,000 Tier Credits). You must make a deposit to get the bonus! Click the link to sign up or use Promo OSBETFULL. Claim your bonus here!

The Detroit Lions head into this game with a record of 1-3 on the season and they are currently in last place in the NFC North. They are coming off a game at home against the Seattle Seahawks where they lost by a final score of 48-45. In that game, quarterback Jared Goff led the game in passing yards and passing touchdowns with 378 yards and four touchdowns. Goff did throw an interception at the beginning of the second half that was returned for a touchdown and put the game out of reach for the Lions. Running back Jamaal Williams led the Lions in rushing with 108 yards and two touchdowns. Tight end T.J. Hockenson led the Lions in receptions and receiving yards with 8 and 179, respectively. Hockenson also had two touchdowns on the day and a reception for 81 yards. The Lions rank first statistically around the league for offense as they have scored the most amount of points and they have recorded the most amount of yards. Unfortunately, their amazing offense is hindered by their horrid defense that ranks last for points and yards allowed. 

The New England Patriots also head into this game with a record of 1-3 on the season and they are in last place in the AFC East. They are coming off a game against the Green Bay Packers on the road where they lost by a final score of 27-24 in overtime. The Patriots were already without their starting quarterback Mac Jones heading into Green Bay and had Brian Hoyer starting for them. After a concussion sustained by Hoyer in the first quarter, backup Baily Zappe had to come into the game and lead the Patriots. He threw for 99 yards and a touchdown while he was in the game. Unfortunately, he lost a fumble after he was sacked late in the second quarter. That turnover didn’t lead to any points from the Packers, instead, the Patriots picked off the Packers and returned it for a touchdown to end the second quarter. The Patriots rushed the ball 33 times in the game and running backs Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson led the attack combining for 152 rushing yards and a touchdown. Stevenson was also active in the passing game catching 4 passes for 23 yards. The Patriots defense was solid in this game as they forced the Packers to commit 2 turnovers and had a defensive touchdown. Heading into this week, they have two defensive linemen that each have 4 sacks on the season. 

I think the Detroit Lions will gameplan to stop the run and have third-string quarterback Zappe beat them. Because of this, expect Rhamondre Stevenson to be one of Zappe’s favorite targets in this game as he will be looking to dump the ball off to him a lot. Stevenson is coming off back-to-back games where he has caught 4 passes for over 20 receiving yards. 

For our Detroit Lions vs New England Patriots prop, take the over on Rhamondre Stevenson’s 2.5 receptions.