Category: Vegas Watch

Odds watch: Lions still big underdogs vs. Bills despite 3-game win streak

Odds watch: Lions still big underdogs vs. Bills on Thanksgiving despite a 3-game win streak

For the first time in five years, the Detroit Lions own a three-game win streak. The last of the trio of wins came in New York against a Giants team that entered the Week 11 matchup at 7-2.

Despite those impressive recent accomplishments, the Lions are still decided underdogs for Thursday’s Thanksgiving matinee at Ford Field against the Buffalo Bills. The Bills are 7-3 and coming off a win over Cleveland in Ford Field in Week 11, playing a home game in Detroit thanks to copious snowfall in the Buffalo area.

The Bills are pretty strong favorites, opening at 8.5-points on the game line.

From our friends at Sportsbook Wire and Tipico Sportsbook:

  • Moneyline: Bills -425 (bet $425 to win $100) | Lions +325 (bet $100 to win $325)
  • Against the spread: Bills -8.5 (-109) | Lions +8.5 (-111)
  • Over/Under: 53.5 (O: -108 | U: -112)

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Odds watch: Lions remain slight underdogs vs. Bears in Week 10

The oddsmakers project a very close, low-scoring game between Detroit and Chicago

After splitting the first two divisional games on the slate in 2022, the Detroit Lions look to get above .500 in the NFC North with a Week 10 visit to the division-rival Chicago Bears.

The Lions are holding steady as 2.5-point underdogs at Tipico Sportsbook for Sunday’s matchup at Soldier Field. Given that the home team typically gets a 3-point bump in the odds, the game is effectively an even draw. Detroit’s money line wager is +120, compared to -140 for the host Bears.

The point line hasn’t moved much during the week, either. With a modest over/under total of 48.5, it’s definitely a game the bookmakers expect to be a close one. That’s typically been bad news for head coach Dan Campbell and the Lions, who didn’t capture a one-score win until last week’s 15-9 triumph over the Green Bay Packers.

The Lions are drawing some very interesting betting action

Fans are wagering heavily that the Detroit Lions take a major jump in 2022

It’s the time of optimism and visions of a Detroit Lions uprising. Fans are feeling the positive vibes of the team’s 3-3 finish in 2021.

But perhaps that optimism is leading to some delusions of grandeur. Witness the report that more bets are being placed on the Lions to go over the 6-win line than on any other team’s win/loss prop total. Also, Lions coach Dan Campbell is the clubhouse leader in total money wagered to win the NFL coach of the year honors.

Those could be plausible outcomes. Detroit doubling its win total would certainly reflect positively on Campbell, who has garnered significant positive buzz around the league this offseason.

Then there’s the capper, as reported by Max Meyer of Caesar’s Sports. Running back D’Andre Swift has more money wagered on him than anyone else to win the NFL rushing title. That’s a bold bet for a player who didn’t even lead the Lions in rushing a year ago and has problems staying on the field for 17 games.

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Lions open as home underdogs in Week 1 vs. Eagles

The Detroit Lions open as home underdogs in Week 1 vs. the Philadelphia Eagles

The excitement of the 2022 schedule for the Detroit Lions gets curbed a little by the opening odds for Week 1. When the Lions host the Philadelphia Eagles in Ford Field, it’s the visitors who are expected to be the better team.

The opening betting line from Tipico Sportsbook lists the visiting Eagles as 3.5-point favorites over Dan Campbell’s Lions. Here’s the odds line as of May 15th:

The Eagles were definitely the better team a year ago. Philadelphia made the postseason with a 9-8 record, while the Lions sputtered to a 3-13-1 outcome. Detroit’s worst loss of the season came at the hands of Jalen Hurts and the Eagles, a 44-6 drubbing in Week 8.

 

Dan Campbell is the most popular NFL coach of the year candidate

Campbell has more bets placed on him than any other NFL coach to win the honor in 2022

The Detroit Lions might be coming off an underwhelming 3-13-1 season, but the arrow is definitely pointing upward for 2022 and beyond. One of the primary reasons is head coach Dan Campbell.

The energetic Campbell and the positive, instructive culture he’s installing in Detroit have caught notice outside of the Lions nation. Campbell is the current leader in total betting tickets for the NFL coach of the year, and it’s not particularly close. The strong action on Campbell has moved his betting line considerably over the last few days.

Check out the info from Max Meyer,

It seems the betting public likes what it sees from Campbell and the Lions.

Aidan Hutchinson a co-favorite for Defensive Rookie of the Year

The Lions haven’t had a Defensive Rookie of the Year since 2010

Aidan Hutchinson was the second defensive player taken in the 2022 NFL draft, but he has better odds to be the top rookie than the defender taken above him.

The Lions EDGE has opened as a co-favorite for the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year at Tipico Sportsbook. Hutchinson and No. 5 overall pick Kayvon Thibodeaux of the New York Giants are each +450 to win the award. The No. 1 pick, DL Travon Walker of the Jaguars, is next in line at +600.

No Lions player has captured the Defensive Rookie of the Year award since Ndamukong Suh in 2010. The only other Detroit players to win the award were Al “Bubba” Baker in 1978 and Lem Barney in 1967, the first year the league gave out the honor.

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The Lions’ Super Bowl odds are unchanged after early free agent period

Detroit’s line is one of the few that has not moved in either direction

The first week of NFL free agency has seen a lot of teams make some big moves. The Detroit Lions are not one of them, however. And the quiet start to free agency has done nothing to help — or hurt — Detroit’s chances in the 2022 NFL season, according to the oddsmakers.

From Sportsbook Wire, the Lions line has not moved in either direction:

Detroit Lions +10000 – (Feb. 14: +10000)

2021 regular-season records:
  • Record: 3-13-1
  • ATS: 11-6
  • O/U: 7-10

Implied win %: 0.99

Only the Houston Texans and New York Jets have longer odds to win the next Super Bowl. The Jacksonville Jaguars catapulted over the Lions, moving from a tie at +10000 to just +9000 after spending significant money on free agents like Christian Kirk and Brandon Scherff.

Lions slight underdogs vs. Packers in the Week 18 finale

The Detroit Lions slight underdogs vs. Green Bay Packers in the Week 18 finale

Finding the betting line for the Detroit Lions in their Week 18 finale against the Green Bay Packers required some patience. With the playing status of so many key players on both teams unknown deep into the week, the sportsbooks have been hesitant to produce anything to bet on.

There is finally a line for the game at Tipico Sportsbook, and it’s one that favors the NFC North champion Packers. Even with the proclamation by Lions head coach Dan Campbell that starting QB Jared Goff is probable to play, the Lions are 3.5-point underdogs at home. The over/under line is 44.5.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur is planning on rolling with his regular starters, including QB Aaron Rodgers. Even with a few key pieces sitting out with injuries, the visitors from Green Bay are formidable.

Lions grow into bigger underdogs vs. Seahawks with QB Jared Goff doubtful

The betting lines moved more into Seattle’s favor after Lions QB Jared Goff was listed as doubtful

The betting line keeps moving away from the Detroit Lions in their Week 17 trip to Seattle to face the Seahawks. The doubtful status of Lions quarterback Jared Goff has weighed the line even more in Seattle’s favor.

The Seahawks were 6.5-point favorites throughout the week at Tipico Sportsbook, but the line has now moved even bigger. As of Saturday at 10 a.m. ET, the Seahawks are now favored by 7.5 points over the Lions. That’s in the wake of Goff being listed as doubtful to play with a knee injury. Tim Boyle will start in Goff’s place if the regular Detroit QB cannot play, and that leans the game heavier in Seattle’s advantage.

The over/under point total also dropped. Originally set at 42.5, it’s now down a point to 41.5. The straight money lines moved too; Detroit is now +300 (bet $100 to win $300) and Seattle is at -400 (bet $400 to win $100). The Lions were at +260 and Seattle -340 earlier in the week.

Bottom line: if you are a believer in the Lions and their ability to upset the Seahawks, it will pay off higher and with more room for error now than when Tipico first posted the lines.

Vegas watch: Lions open as slight underdogs vs. Falcons in Week 16

The Detroit Lions open as slight underdogs vs. the Atlanta Falcons in Week 16

Fresh off one of the most impressive wins the franchise has notched in years, the Detroit Lions hit the road for Week 16 with a trip to Atlanta. Sunday’s 30-12 domination of the Arizona Cardinals appears to have impacted the perception of the Lions, based on the opening betting lines.

At Tipico Sportsbook, the Lions opened the wagering week as 3.5-point underdogs in Atlanta. With the home team typically getting a 3-point bump, it indicates the oddsmakers see the 2-11-1 Lions and 6-8 Falcons as an effective coin flip game.

  • Money line: Lions +170 (bet $100 to win $170) | Falcons -210 (bet $210 to win $100)
  • Against the spread (ATS): Lions +3.5 (-103) | Falcons -3.5 (-117)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 44.5 (O: -103 | U: -117)

After the Week 14 win despite being 13.5-point underdogs, the Lions are now 10-4 against the spread in 2021.

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