Lions at Ravens: Preview, prediction, odds and pick

The Lions and Ravens are both fighting for wildcard spots in their respective conferences, and their Week 13 tilt will be pivotal for each side on Sunday.

The Detroit Lions may not have seen the result they were hoping for after their Thanksgiving tilt with the Minnesota Vikings in Week 12, but they’ll have the chance to bounce back as they travel to play the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

While this game seemed like it would be a lackluster matchup on the schedule if you looked at the beginning of the year, these two teams have emerged as some of the more interesting squads in the NFL at the moment. Both are close in their respective conference playoff races, and both will need a big win on Sunday to get some momentum heading into the home stretch in 2017.

Lions fans saw a brief scare with Matthew Stafford going down briefly last week, and it’ll be interesting to see if his injury is lingering at all when the team travels to Baltimore to play a tough Ravens defense on Sunday afternoon.

Odds: Ravens -2.5, according to Odds Shark

To me, most matchups featuring an NFC team and an AFC team with the same record almost have to tilt in the NFC team’s favor. The NFC as a whole has been a much more talented and competitive conference in 2017, and the Lions are keeping things close in the toughest division in that conference.

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Meanwhile, the Ravens are fighting for a wildcard spot with the likes of the Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and three 5-6 teams in the AFC. With that in mind, you have to give the nod to the Lions in this case.

I see this being a defensive battle, with the Lions squeaking by with a one-possession win to move to 7-5 on the year.

Prediction: Lions 23, Ravens 20