Preseason: Detroit Lions vs Atlanta Falcons 8/12/22 NFL Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons clash Friday night in NFL week 1 preseason action at Ford Field in Detroit. The Atlanta Falcons have lost 7 of their last 8 preseason games. The Detroit Lions have lost 8 straight preseason games.

The Atlanta Falcons need to figure out who starts at quarterback between Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder. While Mariota should be the favorite given his experience, the Falcons think highly of Ridder and will give him chances to steal the job his rookie year. Rookie receiver Drake London has a chance to become a star early in his career while Olamide Zaccheaus, KhaDarel Hodge, Cameron Batson, and others are fighting for playing time in the slot. Starting center has been a position battle for the Falcons between Drew Dalman and Matt Hennessy. Defensively, there’s a starting nose tackle job up for grabs between Vincent Taylor and Anthony Rush. The Falcons are a rebuilding team with a lot of question marks and such little time.

The Detroit Lions are in a make or break season with QB Jared Goff, and it will be interesting to see if he steps up to the plate. The Lions offensive line has been getting high praise, but the five projected starters haven’t played a snap together. Receivers Josh Reynolds, Amon-Ra St. Brown, DJ Chark and Jameson Williams will all be fighting for playing time. Defensively, it feels like the Lions linebacker group is under the most pressure with playing time available across the board. Cornerback Jeff Okudah has also looked good in camp, but his injury history still raises questions about his future. The Lions have potential to become a team on the rise, but their key players need to perform consistently for things to blossom.

The Falcons are 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 road games and 0-3-1 ATS in their last 4 games overall. The Lions are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 home games and 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games overall. The under is 7-2 in Falcons last 9 games overall. The over is 16-7 in Lions last 23 home games. The Falcons are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 meetings in Detroit and 5-2 ATS in their last 7 meetings.

I cap NFL preseason by quarterback depth, and the Atlanta Falcons are a potential goldmine given that they have a legit quarterback battle between Mariota and Ridder. I expect both to get significant playing time and that leads to potential points later in the game when most contests are snooze fests. Furthermore, I want nothing to do with Tim Boyle or David Blough, who are the Lions options past Goff. We’re not being asked to lay anything crazy. Give me the Falcons and the small number.