The Green Bay Packers (13-3) and Detroit Lions (2-13-1) wrap up their regular seasons with a Week 18 meeting Sunday at Ford Field in the Motor City. The kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Packers vs. Lions odds and lines, and make our best NFL picks, predictions and bets.
Green Bay clinched a first-round bye and a home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs after crushing a QB Kirk Cousins-less Minnesota Vikings 37-10 on Sunday Night Football last weekend.
It’s unclear how long the Packers will play MVP frontrunner Aaron Rodgers, RB Aaron Jones and superstar WR Davante Adams. Green Bay is 12-4 ATS and 7-9 O/U.
Detroit was eliminated from playoff contention long ago and got rolled 51-29 in Week 17 by the Seattle Seahawks.
Lions QB Jared Goff has missed the last two games and his status for Week 18 is up in the air. The Lions are 10-6 ATS and 6-10 O/U.
The Packers stormed past the Lions 35-17 at Lambeau Field as 11.5-point favorites in Week 2 with 21 unanswered second-half points.
Also see: Bet Slippin’ Podcast: NFL Week 18 picks and predictions
Packers at Lions odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:10 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Packers -170 (bet $170 to win $100) | Lions +140 (bet $100 to win $140)
- Against the spread (ATS): Packers -3.5 (+100) | Lions +3.5 (-125)
- Over/Under (O/U): 44.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Packers at Lions key injuries
Packers
- OT David Bakhtiari (knee) questionable
- RB Aaron Jones (knee) questionable
- LB De’Vondre Campbell (elbow) questionable
- DL Kingsley Keke (illness) out
- CB Jaire Alexander (shoulder) out
Lions
- QB Jared Goff (knee) questionable
- G Jonah Jackson (elbow/knee) questionable
- LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin (shoulder) questionable
- WR Josh Reynolds (thigh) questionable
- TE Brock Wright (groin) questionable
- DE Michael Brockers (neck) questionable
- FB Jason Cabinda (knee) out
Let’s Make This Interesting
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Packers at Lions odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Lions 24, Packers 17
Money line
PASS with a slight “lean” to the Lions (+140) since I like Detroit plus the points and will typically sprinkle on an underdog’s money line when betting them to cover.
However, this just isn’t a good enough payout to take the Lions outright since we still don’t know Goff’s status.
Green Bay is reportedly planning to send its starters out for at least a few series. I don’t trust Detroit backup QB Tim Boyle enough to lead the Lions past the Packers, even against Green Bay’s second-string defense.
Against the spread
BET the LIONS +3.5 (-125) for 1 unit because they are one of the best ATS teams in the NFL despite being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs for a long time.
Detroit first-year head coach Dan Campbell has done an awesome job having his team prepped every week and the Lions have played hard in most games this season.
Also, the Packers are 0-4 ATS in their last four games in Detroit and 2-7 ATS in their last nine games versus the Lions.
Detroit was ahead of Green Bay at the end of the first half in their Week 2 meeting before squandering the game after halftime.
The Lions outgained the Packers 344-323 but lost the turnover battle 2-0, committed nine penalties for 78 yards and were stopped on both fourth-down attempts.
I expect Detroit to have a better 60-minute performance against a Green Bay team that’ll probably rest its good players after a few series.
The LIONS +3.5 (-125) is my favorite wager in this game.
Over/Under
“LEAN” to the UNDER 44.5 (-110) for a half-unit because Detroit plays at the second-slowest pace in the NFL (seconds per snap) and Green Bay plays the third-slowest pace, according to Football Outsiders.
Lastly, there’s been some reverse line movement headed south of the total. Nearly 70% of the action is on the Over but this total has been lowered from the 45.5-point opener according to pregame.com. It’s a red flag whenever we see sportsbooks make the more popular side cheaper.
Also see: NFL Week 18 odds and lines
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