For many moons, the Detroit Lions have become the laughing stock of the NFL. They were NFC’s Cleveland Browns, circus clowns, Packers little brothers who just wanted to get a seat at the adult table for Thanksgiving – but not anymore. Over the past two weeks, the Detroit Lions have come to life. They showed courage. They have been very interesting and they have impressed many people all over America. After Week 1 saw the Lions uphill battle with one of the strongest teams in the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles, Week 2 saw the Lions take an early lead against the Washington Commanders. While the Commanders managed to bounce back to bring the score within single digits, most viewers agree that the Lions never really lost control. They look solid.
Now, anyone who has followed the Lions in recent years can tell you that their track record doesn’t show how good the team really is. In 2021, the Lions have the second worst record in the tournament. However, they also went 1-6-1 in one-man matches last year. That is not normal. You can expect a team of around .500 in those situations. Detroit is nowhere near. Combine that with a healthier attack line, improved game weapons, and improved pass speed, and it’s no surprise that the Lions suddenly look like the kings of the area. their forest. They also have one of the easiest schedules in the NFL, with 10 games against under-500 teams last season. Yes, they’ll probably suck on national television on Thanksgiving Day before the Buffalo Bills. That will probably turn a lot of people away from the Lions, but hey, the Rams are also sucked into by the Bills on national television and I don’t see anyone shading the Rams right now.
Sports bettors are by far the most popular of the Lions. All this week, the Lions have been favorites in the sportsbooks. On Tuesday, the Lions got 16.7 percent of the bet to win the Super Bowl. That ties them with the Bills in first place, behind only the Kansas City Chiefs, who received 25% of the total Super Bowl bet. It was shocking. When it comes to individual games, it’s normal to see bettors turn their backs on losers in the hope of getting big payouts. However, that almost never happens when it comes to championship betting. The phrase is “any given Sunday”, not “any given season”.
Hell, the Lions still couldn’t make it to the knockout round. Based on OddsChecker US, The Lions are listed at -350 to miss the playoffs, which means they are having a 77.8% chance of missing the playoffs altogether. Despite a hot start, they still have +10000 odds to win the Super Bowl, putting them in 23rd place in the NFL with the likes of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Washington Commanders. Should those odds be higher? It’s entirely possible, especially given the Lions’ convincing defeat of the Commanders in the opener at home last weekend.
That is probably why so many people are inclined to bet on Leos this week. They realized how hard the Lions had taken down Washington, and the fact that they were still tied to the Commanders over Super Bowl odds was a slap in the face to Detroit’s early-season performance.
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It’s not just the Super Bowl odds that bettors love though. The Lions are the most backed underdog to win this Sunday, receiving 66.7 percent of moneyline bets as six-point underdogs to their division rivals, the Minnesota Vikings. Now, the Lions haven’t won in Minnesota since 2017, but I understand why so many people could see Detroit walking away with a victory this Sunday. The most obvious reason is how each team fared in their games against the Philadelphia Eagles. While neither team got out to a hot start, the Lions showed fight, clawing back to make it a close game by the final whistle. Meanwhile, the Vikings couldn’t get anything going. They looked outclassed against Philadelphia, like a deer in headlights — or Sam Darnold against the Patriots. Based on the bridging nature, it would be a slam dunk home run bet, right? Math has never failed us before, but we know better. We know that’s not how football works.
Vikings should be liked, but I’m also happy to see people giving Detroit the credit they deserve. Detroit doesn’t have the same defense as Philadelphia, and we all know that Kirk Cousins struggles in primetime games. So we shouldn’t expect a repeat of last week’s performance. This game must be a shootout, and as long as Irv Smith Jr. keep beating the sure touch passesThe lions will have a pretty good shot when moving above .500.
