Detroit Lions vs. Atlanta Falcons expert picks, score predictions

The Detroit Lions are hoping to make it two in a row for the first time in the Dan Campbell era, but the football gods are going to make it tough for this squad. Although they match up quite well with this Atlanta Falcons team that is nowhere as good as their record indicates, COVID and injuries have stripped the Lions of some of their most important parts. Jared Goff, just as he was finally hitting his strides with the team, has landed on the reserve/COVID list and will not play. Amani Oruwariye has become the 15th third starting cornerback to go on injured reserve. And Detroit remains without the likes of T.J. Hockenson, and it’s not looking great for D’Andre Swift.

Despite all of the bumps in the road to navigate through, we still have a handful of people on staff that believe the Lions will pull off a win this week against a Falcons team that is technically still in the playoff race. Interestingly enough, everyone is predicting a low-scoring game. No one has a team scoring over 30 points on Sunday.

Here are our score predictions for Week 16.

Kyle Yost (11-2-1): 23-18 Falcons
John Whiticar (11-2-1): 27-17 Falcons
Jeremy Reisman (10-3-1): 24-20 Lions
Hamza Baccouche (9-4-1): 26-22 Falcons
Alex Reno (9-4-1): 20-17 Lions
Erik Schlitt (8-5-1): 30-20 Lions (28-24 Lions w/o Goff)
Kellie Rowe (8-5-1): 25-20 Falcons
Mike Payton (8-5-1): 21-17 Lions
Andrew Kato (8-5-1): 20-17 Lions
Jerry Mallory (7-6-1): 24-10 Falcons
Ryan Mathews (7-6-1): 21-13 Lions
Chris Perfett (7-6-1): 22-22 Tie
Morgan Cannon (5-5-1): 27-17 Falcons

You can see our picks for all of Week 16’s game here.

Now it’s your turn to pick. Who do you have winning this game? And don’t forget to share your score prediction in the comment section for a chance at a shoutout in next week’s On Paper.