Vegas Watch – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Vegas watch: Lions huge home underdogs vs. Cardinals in Week 15

The Detroit Lions are huge home underdogs vs. the Arizona Cardinals in Week 15

The early wagering lines for the Detroit Lions in their Week 15 home date are about what you’d expect for the team with the NFL’s worst record hosting the first team to rack up 10 wins, the Arizona Cardinals.

Even with the Cardinals losing to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night, dropping Arizona’s record to 10-3, the visiting Cards are still heavy favorites to beat the 1-11-1 Lions.

The line (as of 11:15 a.m. ET on Wednesday) has not moved since our friends at Sportsbook Wire posted these figures on Tuesday:

Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 3:56 a.m. ET.

Money line: Cardinals -900 (bet $900 to win $100) | Lions +570 (bet $100 to win $570)
Against the spread (ATS): Cardinals -13.5, -110 (bet $110 to win $100) | Lions +13.5, -110 (bet $110 to win $100)
Over/Under (O/U): 47.5, O: -110 (bet $110 to win $100) | U: -110 (bet $110 to win $100)

The 13.5-point line is the biggest point spread the Lions have faced all season. Detroit is 9-4 against the spread, with last week’s 38-10 drubbing in Denver the first game head coach Dan Campbell’s team did not cover the spread in over a month.

[lawrence-related id=70519]

Vegas watch: Lions are big underdogs at home vs. Vikings

The Vikings are favored to win but the line has come down from the opening level

The professional bookmakers expect the Detroit Lions to remain the only winless team in the NFL in Week 13. Detroit is a significant underdog for Sunday’s home date with the Minnesota Vikings.

The current line at Tipico Sportsbook sees the Vikings favored by 6.5 points in Detroit. That’s down from the opening line of 7.5 points, a drop that could be attributable to the loss of starting RB Dalvin Cook to injury and the potential absence of CB Patrick Peterson due to COVID-19.

Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions, 1 p.m. ET

Money line: Vikings -320 (bet $320 to win $100) | Lions +250 (bet $100 to win $250)
Against the spread (ATS): Vikings -6.5 (-120) | Lions +6.5 (+100)
Over/Under (O/U): 47.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

Betting on the Lions to win has been profitable even if it doesn’t translate to the win column that really matters. The Lions are 7-4 against the spread in 2021.

[lawrence-related id=69805]

Lions still heavy underdogs vs. Browns despite Cleveland’s struggles

The 5-5 Browns got blown out 45-7 by New England in Week 10

The battle for The Barge between the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns featured two teams sailing into Sunday’s game in opposite directions. The Lions visit FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland coming off their first non-losing outcome in almost a full calendar year. The Browns return home after one of the worst losses since the team returned to action in 1999.

Despite the divergent winds at their backs, the Browns remain the heavy favorite in the Week 11 matchup. Cleveland is favored by 9.5 points at Tipico Sportsbook.

The Browns are coming off a 45-7 loss in New England, a game they led 7-0 after the first drive. Nothing worked after that for coach Kevin Stefanski’s Browns on either side of the ball. Detroit pulled out a 16-16 tie in Pittsburgh against the Steelers in Week 10, the first game the Lions have not lost since Week 13 of the 2020 season.

[listicle id=69046]

Lions vs. Eagles odds: Detroit slight underdogs at home in Week 8

The Lions have been underdogs for every game in 2021 but get an Eagles team that has lost 5 of 6 straight up in Week 8

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbx8sj47vkwrznr player_id=none image=https://lionswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Another game, another week where the Detroit Lions are underdogs. That’s to be expected with Detroit as the NFL’s last remaining winless team.

From a betting standpoint, the Lions have been more successful. Detroit has covered the point spread four times, including a resounding win in Week 7. The Lions were 15.5-point underdogs to the Rams in Los Angeles and lost by a 28-19 score.

This week sees the 2-5 Philadelphia Eagles come to Detroit on the heels of an 11-point loss in Las Vegas. The Eagles are favored by 3.5 points in the early lines, which would be the lowest margin of the season if it holds. The Lions were 4-point dogs at Chicago in Week 4 and lost by 10.

The current odds (as of Tuesday 9:15 a.m. ET) for the game in Ford Field, courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook:

Money line: Eagles -180 (bet $180 to win $100) | Lions +145 (bet $100 to win $145)
Against the spread (ATS): Eagles -3.5 (-103) | Lions +3.5 (-117)
Over/Under (O/U): 47.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)

The Eagles are 3-4 against the spread and have lost five of their last six games straight up. They are 2-2 overall on the road this year.

Lions are huge underdogs at the Rams in Week 7

The Detroit Lions are 15.5-point underdogs entering the Week 7 game against the Los Angeles Rams

The odds are firmly stacked against the Detroit Lions when they head to Los Angeles to face Matthew Stafford, Aaron Donald and the Rams in Week 7. The current line at Tipico Sportsbook sees Detroit as 15.5-point underdogs.

Money line: Lions +700 (bet $100 to win $700) | Rams -1200 (bet $1200 to win $100)
Against the spread (ATS): Lions +15.5, -115 (bet $115 to win $100) | Rams -15.5, -105 (bet $105 to win $100)
Over/Under (O/U): 50.5, O: -108 (bet $108 to win $100) | U: -112 (bet $112 to win $100)

How dramatic is the huge line? It’s two points bigger than the final game of the 2019 season, when David Blough got the start against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. Detroit entered that game 3-11-1 and the Packers came in at 12-3, and even with a backup QB and no Marvin Jones or T.J. Hockenson, the line was still just 13.5 in favor of the Packers.

It’s the largest point spread for a game the Lions have been involved in since 2009. The year after the Lions became the first team to ever go 0-16, they headed to Minnesota in Week 10. The 1-8 Lions were 17-point underdogs to the 8-1 Vikings. Minnesota won by a score of 27-10, exactly matching the point spread.

Odds watch: Lions are slight home underdogs vs. Bengals in Week 6

The point spread is probably smaller than you expect it to be given the records of the two teams

It’s not surprising to find the Detroit Lions as home underdogs to the Cincinnati Bengals in the Week 6 catfight at Ford Field. It might be more of a surprise that the winless Lions are only 3.5-point dogs to the visitors from the south on I-75.

The Bengals open up at 3.5-point favorites in Detroit at Tipico Sportsbook. Cincinnati is 3-2 and lost in overtime to the Green Bay Packers in Week 5. That game featured five missed field goals in the fourth quarter and overtime before Green Bay’s Mason Crosby finally made the game-winner. The Lions also lost on a game-winning field goal by Minnesota’s Greg Joseph on the game’s final play in Week 5.

Cincinnati Bengals at Detroit Lions, 1 p.m. ET

Money line: Bengals -165 (bet $165 to win $100) | Lions +133 (bet $100 to win $133)
Against the spread (ATS): Bengals -3.5 (+102) | Lions +3.5 (-125)
Over/Under (O/U): 47.5 (O: -108 | U: -112)

The Lions are 3-2 against the spread in 2021, including a cover win in Week 5.

[lawrence-related id=67467]

Lions vs. Vikings: Week 5 odds and best bets

Detroit Lions vs. Minnesota Vikings: Week 5 odds and best bets for the NFC North matchup

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbx8sj47vkwrznr player_id=none image=https://lionswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

The Detroit Lions are decided underdogs heading into the team’s trip to Minnesota to face the Vikings in Week 5. Detroit is getting more than a touchdown in the latest odds for the coming NFL weekend.

Here’s how the odds stack up at Tipico Sportsbook as of 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 7th:

Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m. ET

Money line: Lions +265 (bet $100 to win $265) | Vikings -350 (bet $350 to win $100)
Against the spread (ATS): Lions +7.5 (-115) | Vikings -7.5 (-105)
Over/Under (O/U): 49.5 (O: -108 | U: -112)

Both the Lions and Vikings are 2-2 against the spread through the first four weeks of the 2021 season. The Vikings have won the last seven meetings in the series straight-up, and the Lions have covered the spread just once in those seven meetings.

Given the rather dire injury situation for the winless Lions, the best bet here is to take the Vikings and give the -7.5 points.

Lions schedule ranks among the 10 hardest based on projected win totals

Facing the NFC West and AFC North gives the Lions a rough schedule

The NFL unveils the official schedule and sequence of 17 games on Wednesday night in a primetime spectacle. But we already know all the opponents the Detroit Lions will face in the 2021 season, and those 14 foes rank as one of the toughest slates in the entire NFL.

Based on projected win totals for the upcoming season, the Lions have a schedule that is tied for the ninth-hardest, per Pro Football Network. Playing the AFC North, which features three teams that made the 2020 postseason, and the powerful NFC West raise the stakes for the Lions, no matter the sequence of games.

Of course, the Lions own lowly projected win total–currently 5 at BetMGM—helps lower the sum for all of the teams on Detroit’s schedule.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship, and there is no influence on news coverage.

[vertical-gallery id=60948]

Odds say Lions will draft WR or QB with their first pick

The betting odds for the position of the Lions first draft pick in 2021 favor wide receiver and quarterback

If you think you know what GM Brad Holmes and the Detroit Lions are going to do with their first pick of the 2021 NFL draft, you have a chance to put your money where your mouth is. The updated betting odds for the position of the Lions top pick are out via BetMGM.

The current favorite position is wide receiver, which is a pressing need for the Lions. At a +120 line, it’s the clear top projection. That moneyline translates to a 45 percent probability. Next up is quarterback at +450, an 18 percent probability based on the odds conversion.

Linebacker, offensive line and cornerback round out the top five positional odds for Detroit’s first pick. It’s important to note the verbiage of the bet; it’s for the position of the Lions first selection, not the No. 7 overall pick where the team is currently slotted.

The full list at BetMGM as of April 15th, which includes specialists for those truly looking to make a longshot wager:

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship, and there is no influence on news coverage.

Lions have the longest odds to win the division of any NFL team

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbx8sj47vkwrznr player_id=none image=https://lionswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

No NFL team is a longer shot to win its division in 2021 than the Detroit Lions. The latest updated odds from BetMGM have the Lions as the most unlikely division champion in the upcoming season.

The Lions are currently at +2500 to win the NFC North. The only other team that tops +2000 is the Cincinnati Bengals, who are at +2200 in the AFC North, where all three of their divisional foes made the postseason in 2020. The Broncos, Texans and Jets are the next-longest shots.

At the beginning of a radical overhaul that includes a brand new front office, coaching staff, quarterback and wide receiving corps, it’s easy to understand the skeptical eye from the oddsmakers on the Lions. If you’re a big believer in what GM Brad Holmes, head coach Dan Campbell and the Lions are starting to build, it’s a chance to make some money if they can pull off the improbable in 2021.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship, and there is no influence on news coverage.