Surging Lions a big underdog vs. Bills on Thanksgiving
Don’t look now, but the Detroit Lions are on a winning streak.
Just in time for Thanksgiving, the Lions seek their first fourgame win streak since 2016.
That also happens to be the last time the Lions won on Thanksgiving Day.
On Thursday, the Lions will welcome the Buffalo Bills to town at 12:30 p.m. Interestingly enough, the Bills have played in Ford Field more recently than the Lions.
Despite Detroit’s current hot streak, oddsmakers aren’t giving them much chance to upset the Bills on Thursday.
For more odds and information on the Detroit Lions, be sure to visit PlayMichigan.com.
Bills favored by nearly 10 points
According to the oddsmakers the Lions are listed as a 9-point underdog at most Michigan sportsbooks for Thursday’s game.
The over/under total for the game is sitting at 53.5 or 54 points, depending on the book.
The 4-6 Detroit Lions come into Thursday’s game at 6-4 against
the spread. That includes a 3-2 record against the spread at home.
Buffalo is 7-3 overall and 5-4-1 against the spread. Oddsmakers still list the Bills as one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl this season.
The Bills have won three straight meetings with Detroit, dating back to 2010. The Lions did cover the spread in the last meeting, a 14-13 loss at Buffalo in December of 2018.
Thursday’s large spread is somewhat surprising since the Lions have not lost at home by more than four points this season.
Lions seek 4-game win streak at home
Detroit is coming off its best performance of the season on Sunday, a 31-18 road win over the New York Giants.
The Lions were successful in all phases of the game, but their defense was perhaps their most impressive unit in the win.
Detroit forced three turnovers while holding Saquon Barkley to just 22 rushing yards on 15 carries. Barkley was the leading rusher in the NFL coming into Week 11.
Young players led the defensive effort as second-year defensive tackle Alim McNeill had a sack and three tackles for loss, rookie Aidan Hutchinson had three tackles with an interception and a fumble recovery, and rookie safety Kerby Joseph had his third interception of the season.
Offensively, Jamaal Williams had three rushing touchdowns to move to a league-high 12 on the season.
Detroit didn’t escape the game unscathed though, as cornerback Jeff Okudah suffered a concussion and will not be able to play on Thursday.
One positive for the Lions on the injury front is that defensive end Romeo Okwara and rookie receiver Jameson Williams have both started practicing for the Lions. Okwara is coming off a torn Achilles, while Williams suffered a torn ACL last January.
While not certain for either to play this week, the Lions have three weeks to active both players.
Bills top Browns in Ford Field
Buffalo won’t have to travel far for this week’s game.
Due to a snowstorm that dropped nearly 80 inches of snow on Buffalo, the Bills had their game with the Cleveland Browns last Sunday moved to Ford Field.
Buffalo picked up a 3123 victory thanks to a dominant run game. The Bills had 171 rushing yards as a team. Backs Devin Singletary and James Cook each had 86 yards rushing in the win.
MVP candidate Josh Allen threw for 197 yards and a TD while rushing for seven yards.
Buffalo kicker Tyler Bass also made six field goals.
One of the challenges the Lions will face on Thursday is containing Allen, who is another mobile quarterback for Detroit to try and stop.
The Lions have allowed 49 rushing yards or more to four different quarterbacks this season, including New York’s Daniel Jones on Sunday.
Overall, Buffalo has the second-ranked offense in the NFL in terms of scoring (28.1 points per game) and yards amassed (417.4 pg). Detroit’s defense ranks last in scoring (28.2 ppg) and yards allowed (415.9 pg), but the unit has shown improvement in recent outings.
Bettors like the Lions to cover
It appears that bettors for this game think the Bills are giving away too many points in Detroit on Thursday.
Of the wagers placed, 66 percent are going on the Lions as the underdog. It’s been over a year since Detroit has suffered a doubledigit loss at home.
Just a few weeks ago, the Lions had almost no reasonable odds to make the playoffs in the 2022-23 NFL Season. Now, following this win streak, BetMGM Michigan has moved Detroit’s odds to +650 to make the playoffs (wager $100 to win an additional $650).
The Lions over/under for regular season wins is now sitting at 6.5, with the over carrying odds of -140 (wager $140 to win an additional $100).
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