Detroit Lions vs. Atlanta Falcons first half open thread

The Detroit Lions only have three games left in the 2021 season, and they seem to finally be hitting their stride. They’ve won two of their last three and out of the bye week, they’ve nearly posted a .500 record at 2-3-1.

They have a chance on Sunday too push that to exactly .500 if they can come away with a win on the road against the Atlanta Falcons. Though the Falcons are 6-8 and entering Week 16 with an outside chance at a playoff spot, they don’t quite seem like a team ready for the postseason. They actually have the worst point differential in the entire NFC, and they rank dead last in Football Outsiders’ efficiency metric DVOA.

But the Lions are in Atlanta shorthanded. Jared Goff remains at home on the reserve/COVID-19 list. D’Andre Swift is still another week away. Amani Oruwariye became the latest Lions defensive back to land on the injured reserve list.

Put it all together and the Lions will have to beat the odds to come away with their second straight win. But the Lions have been surprisingly good against the spread this year, so look out.

Anyway, if you want to chat about the game while it happens, sound off in the comment section below. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. ET, so we’ll see you then!