Lions at Falcons: Week 13 preview, odds and injuries

Week 13 · Sun, Dec 6 · Mercedes-Benz Stadium1 PM ET

at1 PMET · CBS

At a glanceUpdated Nov 10, 2026, 10:24 PM ET

The Detroit Lions (6-2) visit the Atlanta Falcons (3-6) on Sun, Dec 6, 1 PM ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA (Week 13, 2026 season), on CBS.

When and where is Lions vs Falcons?

Sun, Dec 6, 1 PM ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. TV: CBS.

Who is injured for Lions vs Falcons?

Lions: Kerby Joseph (S, out, knee), Cade Mays (C, questionable, ankle), D.J. Reed (CB, questionable, hip), DJ Wonnum (LB, questionable, concussion) and Jacob Saylors (RB, questionable, neck). Falcons: Anterio Thompson (DT, out, undisclosed) and Zachariah Branch (WR, doubtful, hamstring).

Cite this page

Pigskin Nightly, “Lions at Falcons: Week 13 preview”, https://pigskinnightly.com/games/2026-12-06-det-at-atl (updated 2026-11-11).

How we calculate Plain-text version Report an error

Regular season through week 12 · rank out of 32

Where this game will be decided

1Lions big-play offense vs Falcons defense against big plays
The Lions' big-play offense ranks 5th in explosive-play rate (10.8%, 517 plays) against a Falcons defense against big plays ranked 19th (9.6% allowed, 573 plays faced).
5thDET offense14 spots apart19thATL defense
2Lions ball security vs Falcons takeaway defense
The Lions' ball security ranks 2nd in turnovers per game (0.6 giveaways a game, 8 games) against a Falcons takeaway defense ranked 19th (1.1 takeaways a game, 9 games).
2ndDET offense17 spots apart19thATL defenseSmall sample, read with care Why sample size matters

When the Lions have the ballEdge DET · +10 ranks

DET dropback offenseEPA per dropbackATL pass defense

5th+0.21299 dropbacks

DET +10

+0.04 allowed345 dropbacks faced15th

DET run gameEPA per rushATL run defense

13th-0.05218 rushes

DET +8

-0.06 allowed228 rushes faced21st

Dropbacks include sacks and scrambles; rushes are designed runs. What EPA measures.

When the Falcons have the ballNo big edge

ATL dropback offenseEPA per dropbackDET pass defense

28th-0.13286 dropbacks

+0.16 allowed355 dropbacks faced27th

ATL run gameEPA per rushDET run defense

8th-0.00239 rushes

-0.11 allowed164 rushes faced12th

Third downNo big edge

DET third-down offensethird-down conversion rateATL third-down defense

22nd37.2%94 third downs

43.3% allowed120 third downs faced23rd

ATL third-down offensethird-down conversion rateDET third-down defense

28th35.2%105 third downs

44.9% allowed107 third downs faced26th

Conversions are third-down snaps that gained a first down or scored.

Red zoneEdge DET · +11 ranks

DET red-zone offensered-zone touchdown rateATL red-zone defense

13th62%34 trips

DET +11

67% allowed33 trips faced24th

ATL red-zone offensered-zone touchdown rateDET red-zone defense

14th62%26 trips

ATL +9

66% allowed29 trips faced23rd

A trip is a drive with at least one snap inside the opponent's 20; the rate is trips that ended in an offensive touchdown. Small samples swing fast here.

Explosive playsEdge DET · +14 ranks

DET big-play offenseexplosive-play rateATL defense against big plays

5th10.8%517 plays

DET +14

9.6% allowed573 plays faced19th

ATL big-play offenseexplosive-play rateDET defense against big plays

15th9.5%525 plays

ATL +13

11.0% allowed519 plays faced28th

Completions of 20+ yards and runs of 10+, per snap. Definition.

Pressure & sacksNo big edge

DET pass protectionsack rateATL pass rush

19th6.4% sacked299 dropbacks

5.8% of dropbacks345 dropbacks faced18th

ATL pass protectionsack rateDET pass rush

12th5.6% sacked286 dropbacks

7.6% of dropbacks355 dropbacks faced7th

Sacks per dropback. The public play-by-play has no pressure charting, so this is the sack side of it only.

TurnoversEdge DET · +17 ranks

DET ball securityturnovers per gameATL takeaway defense

2nd0.6 giveaways a game8 games

DET +17

1.1 takeaways a game9 games19th

ATL ball securityturnovers per gameDET takeaway defense

28th1.7 giveaways a game9 games

1.0 takeaways a game8 games22nd

Interceptions and lost fumbles on offensive snaps, per game. Turnover rates are among the least stable numbers in football.

AbsencesDET 0 · ATL 0 regulars out or doubtful

Lions5 listed

0 of them are regulars ruled out or doubtful (60%+ of their unit's snaps across 3+ weeks on the field).

QD.J. ReedCB94% defense · 7 wk
QCade MaysC66% offense · 2 wk
QDJ WonnumLB54% defense · 7 wk
QJacob SaylorsRB3% offense · 7 wk
OUTKerby JosephSno snaps

Falcons2 listed

0 of them are regulars ruled out or doubtful (60%+ of their unit's snaps across 3+ weeks on the field).

DZachariah BranchWR24% offense · 8 wk
OUTAnterio ThompsonDTno snaps

Snap share is the average of the weeks each player was on the field this season. Full injury report ↓

Rest & travelDET +3 days of rest · DET travels 598 mi

AwayLions

10days since last game

598miles to get here

0time zones

Last: Thu wk 12 vs CHI · 7,124 mi flown this season

Normal week

Rest edge+3DET daysTravel gap 598 mi

HomeFalcons

7days since last game

0miles · home

0time zones

Last: Sun wk 12 at MIN · Minneapolis · 12,887 mi flown this season

Normal week

League splits for these situations ↓

Sample: DET 8 games, 517 offensive and 519 defensive plays · ATL 9 games, 525 offensive and 573 defensive plays. Rank 1 is the best offense or the best defense in each stat. Keys are the largest rank gaps (12+ spots) between an offense and the defense it faces, one per stat. Ranks are not schedule-adjusted.

Season to date · rank out of 32