NFL: Forget Taylor Swift, the Detroit Lions are the talk of the NFL right now

By:

04/10/2023/

Highlights

The Detroit Lions are 3-1 for the first time since 2017.
Detroit has never won the NFC North Division – the last time they won the division it was called the NFC Central back in 1993.
Odds on the Lions at sportsbooks have gone up on team and individual awards.

Breathe it all in Lions fans, the Detroit Lions are 3-1, on top of a suddenly-shaky NFC North and one of the darlings of the NFL, no matter how may Kansas City Chief games Taylor Swift goes to.

Michigan sportsbooks have certainly taken notice. The Lions were favorites entering the season to win the division and make the playoffs, but the numbers have all changed since Detroit’s hot start.

The good thing about the Lions is they are getting it done on both sides of the ball. The defense ranks No. 1 in the NFL at stopping the run and quarterback Jared Goff has been steady throwing for 1,029 yards and six touchdowns.

Here are some of the current odds on the Lions as the season hits the quarter pole.

The Defense Never Rests

Second-year defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson has returned to the field with a vengeance. The Michigan product leads the Lions with 3.5 sacks and seven QB hits. FanDuel Sportsbook has made Hutchinson the No. 5 pick on their board (+2500) to win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award. No Lion has ever won this award since it started in 1971.

Let’s face it the NFL is still an offense-centric league. Rules have made it harder to hit the quarterback and cover wide receivers down the field. The best way for defenses to stop offenses now is with big plays like sacks and losses. Hutchinson is incredibly valuable in that way.

A Big Bad O

Despite some injuries on the offensive line, the Lions offense hasn’t missed a beat. Goff is now up to +3000 to win the NFL MVP award at FanDuel, and his top target, Amon-Ra St. Brown is +3000 to be the NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

St. Brown is the type of wide receiver every successful NFL teams needs. He already has 331 yards and two scores.

Running back David Montgomery has been a steal from the woeful Bears. He has scored five TDs and leads the Lions with 262 yards.

The Team The Team The Team

FanDuel now lists the Lions as the eighth best choice to win the Super Bowl. That’s right Lion fans, I said the Super Bowl. They are the fourth NFC team, behind the Niners, Eagles and Cowboys. The Chiefs and Niners have the best odds at +550, while the Lions are now +2000.

In the division, the Lions are the overwhelming favorite at -185 followed by the Packers (+340), Vikings (+450) and the winless Bears (+5500). FanDuel also has the Lions at +850 to win the NFC.

Now the biggest challenge for the Lions will be handling these heightened expectations. Detroit is a big favorite this week over the winless Panthers, then they play Tampa Bay, go to Baltimore to face the Ravens and are home for the Las Vegas Raiders before their bye week.

It was a September to remember for Lion fans, but the best may be yet to come.

By:Darren Cooper

Born and raised in Louisiana, Darren Cooper has a fond appreciation for bayous, Mardi Gras beads and the sports betting industry. Darren has worked for multiple print and online publications since 1998, primarily as a sports columnist in the Northeast. He’s covered a Super Bowl (it was a blowout), the World Series (same) and the NBA Draft (man, those guys are tall). For the last few years he’s dug deep into the sports gambling industry as it exploded across America, learning how the legal sausage is made and how while all the sportsbooks look the same, they all have different identities and styles. He’s learned to always bet within his means -- and take the under. When not in front of his computer creating, Darren spends time with his three boys. He runs, reads and is always looking for the next big thing to write about.