The Indianapolis Colts are coming off a win over the Jets in what was a highly encouraging performance from Anthony Richardson. However, awaiting them in Week 12 are the red-hot Lions.
Detroit will enter this game at 9-1 and have consistently been the most complete team in football. They feature the NFL’s highest-scoring offense, but basically, pick a metric on either side of the ball, and there is a good chance you’ll see the Lions near the top of that list.
For a Colts team still in the AFC playoff hunt, this week’s matchup will challenge them in all facets of the game.
So, who do the experts have winning this game? Spoiler alert: it’s pretty lopsided. But let’s take a look at who wins this week and why.
ESPN
All three of ESPN’s staff members who are making predictions picked the Lions to win and the margin of victory ranges from 2-to-3 scores. ESPN’s FPI projection model, which runs countless simulations, has Detroit winning this game 73.4 percent of the time and by an average of 9.5 points.
Pro Football Talk
Both Mike Florio and Chris Simms are taking the Lions in this game. On the year, Florio is 114-52 with his picks and Simms is 108-58.
NFL.com
Another clean sweep in favor of the Lions. While Detroit’s offense leads the NFL in scoring, Brooke Cersosimo notes that their defense has been quite good against the run and they utilize a hefty amount of man coverage, which Anthony Richardson has struggled with.
CBS Sports
Pete Prisco is picking the Lions to win 30-17. While Prisco likes what he saw from Anthony Richardson against the Jets, ultimately, the Detroit offense against the Indianapolis defense is going to be too much to keep up with.
Bleacher Report
All eight staff members are picking Detroit to win this game. The consensus score prediction is Lions 30 – Colts 20. In short, the Lions are rolling right now.
Sports Illustrated
One more? I suppose why not. The entire Monday Morning Quarterback crew is picking Detroit to win this game.