Patriots vs. Lions 2018: Prediction, Betting Odds For NFL Week 3 Sunday Night Football

The New England Patriots are hoping to rebound in Week 3 of the 2018 NFL season after being thoroughly outplayed in a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Tom Brady and Co. should look much more like the team we’ve become accustomed to seeing, and it’ll come at the expense of the Detroit Lions on “Sunday Night Football.”

New England cruised to a victory over the Houston Texans in the season opener before suffering a double-digit loss in a rematch of the AFC Championship Game. Detroit is still looking for its first win under new head coach and former Patriots’ defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. That will probably remain the case after Week 3, considering how bad the Lions have played in their first two games.

A week after losing on the road, New England is a seven-point road favorite, according to the latest betting odds at OddsShark. The over/under is up to 53.5 points as the Patriots visit a team that is tied for the most points surrendered on the young season.

Detroit’s defense might be near the very bottom of the league when all is said and done. Since the unit gave up 34 points to the Sam Darnold and the New York Jets’ offense in Week 1, the rookie has played poorly and led the team to just 37 points over the last two games. Jimmy Garoppolo rebounded from a rough three-interception Week 1 performance by posting a 118.4 passer rating with no picks against the Lions in Week 2. The San Francisco 49ers won 30-27 in a game that was more one-sided than the final score indicated.

Brady and the Patriots struggled in last week’s 31-20 defeat. That should change when the team goes from playing the AFC’s best defense to potentially the NFC’s worst.

At 41 years old, Brady is somehow as good as ever. He managed to post a 106.1 passer rating against Jacksonville while being pressured often, marking the fifth straight game in which he’s had a passer rating in triple digits, dating back to last season’s playoffs.

There’s a good chance that Brady won’t have to worry about Detroit’s best defensive player. Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay is likely to miss Sunday’s contest after suffering a concussion in Week 2.

While the Lions will probably lose Slay for Week 3, the Patriots have added Josh Gordon to a receiving corps that was lacking in depth. It’s unknown how many snaps he’ll play, though his presence will only make things easier for the greatest quarterback that’s ever played the game.

Maybe Matthew Stafford will be able to keep Detroit in the game. His four-interception performance in Week 1 was clearly an aberration, and he bounced back in Week 2 with three touchdown passes and no picks. New England put little pressure on Blake Bortles last Sunday, allowing the quarterback to play one of the best games of his career.

The Patriots are 21st in yards allowed per play. The defending AFC champs are only three spots ahead of the Lions, who rank 24th after two games. Detroit is tied for fourth in the NFL with eight sacks. New England has just three sacks on the season.

New England often has one or two hiccups to start each season, though they almost never stumble against bad teams. Brady hasn’t suffered a loss to a team that went on to finish under .500 within the first 10 weeks of a season since 2012.

Detroit is likely headed for a losing season. The Lions will be a third of the way there when they fall to 0-3 Sunday.

Prediction: New England over Detroit, 37-23