In a role that seems all too familiar, the Detroit Lions have opened as underdogs in Week 9's matchup with the Oakland Raiders. They currently sit as a two-point underdog as they travel to California to play Jon Gruden's squad.
The Lions could easily pull off this upset in their west coast road trip, mostly due to some elite quarterback play, an improved run defense, solid coverage of tight ends, and Oakland's unhealthy offensive line.
Here are four reasons the Lions will come away with a big win this week against the Raiders.
4. The Lions will contain tight end Darren Waller on Sunday
Oakland's Darren Waller has been a fantasy breakout candidate at tight end, more than fulfilling his preseason expectations. Seven games into his fourth NFL season, Waller has racked up 46 receptions for 496 yards to go along with three touchdowns.
While the Lions have struggled in recent years to cover elite tight ends, they have actually done a formidable job against tight ends this season. They held Zach Ertz to 64 yards in Week 3, held Travis Kelce to 85 yards in Week 4, and held Evan Engram to 40 yards last week, with none of the elite tight ends finding the end zone.
These contained outings have been because of 1-on-1 match-ups with Lions rookie safety Tracy Walker, who has performed well and is the main reason why the team was okay parting ways with Quandre Diggs last week.
Even though Walker is listed as day-to-day as of Wednesday, if he is able to play in this game, expect him to cover Waller like white on rice.
3. Lions run defense has drastically improved in recent weeks
The Lions faced one of the best running backs in the NFL last week in New York's Saquon Barkley. While Barkley made a lot of big plays in the passing game, on the ground, the Lions held him to 64 yards on 19 carries, with his longest run only going for 13 yards.
This stellar performance by the run defense was mostly due to the quality play of defensive ends Trey Flowers and DaShawn Hand, who had the most defensive snaps last Sunday. The duo combined for eight tackles, and Flowers was able to sack Daniel Jones twice.
With this pairing healthy, the improved play of Damon “Snacks” Harrison, and the rehab process for Mike Daniels slowly but surely coming to an end, Detroit's defensive line is finally living up to their preseason hype and will hold Oakland rookie running back Josh Jacobs to under 100 yards on Sunday.
2. The Oakland offensive line is banged up
What can help the Lions' defensive line continue to wreak havoc is the fact that Oakland's offensive line is far from at 100 percent health.
Starting center Rodney Hudson left last Sunday's game against the Texans with an ankle injury, which is a cause for concern according to Jon Gruden. His status remains unclear for this Sunday's game
Hudson isn't the only Raiders offensive lineman working through an injury, as guard Gabe Jackson and tackle Trent Brown were both listed on the injury report last week. Unhealthy offensive lines in the NFL tend to struggle, which is good news for Detroit Lions fans.
1. Quarterback Matthew Stafford is playing like an MVP
While veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford has been seen as overrated and a stat-padding thrower by the national media, this season has actually been the statistical best of Stafford's career.
The Lions are averaging 282.7 yards through the air, which is good enough for fifth in the league. He has also averaged the second most yards per game and is tied for second in the league in passing touchdowns, clearly benefiting from offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell loving to air out the ball in the Detroit offense.
In terms of passer rating and QBR, Stafford is ranked sixth in the league. He simply isn't missing throws, and he has helped the Lions to quality wins against two squads who were in the playoffs last season.
Against an Oakland Raiders defense that lacks both a consistent pass rush and depth in the secondary, Lions fans should expect to see their gunslinger light up the Raiders. If you aren't already sick of the “Matthew Stafford is a dark-horse MVP candidate” articles, you will definitely be sick of them after this game, when Stafford torches Oakland for at least 300 yards and a few passing touchdowns.
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