Detroit Lions Season Opener Odds

Football season is here, and with it comes another chance for the Lions to end their six-year playoff drought. 

Tomorrow, September 7th, marks the first NFL game of the season, with none other than the Detroit Lions taking on the Kansas City Chiefs, Super Bowl winners last season. Thursday night will be arguably the most-watched season opener for the Lions in franchise history. Since 2002, the NFL has begun each season with a Thursday night game. This Thursday night will be the first time the Lions have been a part of the season-opening game. 

The game takes place at 8:20 p.m. on NBC at the Kansas City stadium.

A Review of Last Season

Last season, the Lions went 9-8, a massive improvement from the season prior, when the team went 3-13-1. Unfortunately, as you may already know, the Lions were unable to secure a wild-card spot in the playoffs. 

Our greatest asset last season, without a doubt, was our offense. Jared Goff really began leading his team on the field, while Amon-Ra St. Brown finished the season as the seventh top-scoring wide receiver in the league, averaging 16.7 fantasy points a game. 

The Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes went 14-3 in the regular season last year, losing to the Colts, the Bills, and the Bengals. Mahomes passed for over 200 yards every single regular season game last year, with ten games over the 300-yard mark! Compare that to Goff, who has just five games over 300 yards and two games under 200 passing yards.

One question remains, however: Can the Lions finally win a playoff game? It’s been 31 seasons since the team has won a playoff matchup. Thousands of fans certainly believe they can pull it off. In fact, according to an article by USA Today, the Lions have already sold out their entire home season games!

So, who should you place your bets on this season and why?

A Closer Look at the Odds 

According to Caesars Sportsbook, the public has bet more money on the Lions to win the NFC North than any other team in the league. 

At Ceasers Sportsbook, the Kansas City Chiefs are a 6.5-favorite to win Thursday night’s game. For many ESPN analysts, a win for the Lions tomorrow night is a long shot. According to NFL Pickwatch, 92% of NFL analysts predict that the Chiefs will win tomorrow night. But that shouldn’t stop you from wagering on the Lions altogether! 

With the fact that the Chiefs have won the last 8 season openers, Thursday night may not be the best night to wager on the Lions. However, it could be the perfect time to wager on Dan Campbell, who is the favorite to win coach of the year at Caesars Sportsbook (+850 odds).

Another bet could be on the Lions making it to the playoffs this season. The team is the clear favorite in the NFC North with -175 odds, which translates to a 63.64% chance the Lions will make it to the playoffs. 

Publisher for All Lions, a Detroit Lions-themed blog, John Maakaron, commented on the upcoming game, “The Detroit Lions in some way, regardless of the result, have taken a step forward as an organization. For the team to be featured in primetime, where the eyes of the entire nation will be on the coaching staff and the young roster, is a positive step forward for the organization. Playing the Chiefs in Week 1 is the ultimate barometer regarding how the team stacks up against a perennial Super Bowl contender.”

Maakaron continued, stating, “I think it is a perfect matchup, as the revamped defense will have their first test right out of the gate, trying to match wits with Patrick Mahomes, who is going to go down as one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. While it would be a tremendous boost for the Lions to go out and defeat the Chiefs at Arrowhead, the feat is quite tall, given just how well the Chiefs perform at home and in season openers.”

Mac Daniel is a writer for PlayOnlineCasino and PlayOnlineSportsBetting. He has experience writing about a wide variety of topics, including healthcare, tourism, non-profit organizations, and most recently casino and sportsbetting news. To check out more of his work, visit: playonlinemichigan.com