The opening betting lines for Week 14 have been released and the Detroit Lions are favorites over the GreenBay Packers on “Thursday Night Football.”
The Detroit Lions (11-1) will host their NFC North rival Green Bay Packers (9-3) in Week 14 on “Thursday Night Football,” in a key matchup that will have massive implications on the division and the conference playoff seeding.
Despite being decimated by injury on the defensive side of the ball the Lions are still considered one of the top teams in the NFL, and that is reflected in this week’s betting line, as the folks over at FanDuel Sportsbook have opened the line at Lions -3.5 points.
The Lions are off to the best start in franchise history and have now won 10 games in a row (which ties a franchise record, set back in 1934). While the Packers have won seven of their last eight games, with their only loss coming in Week 9 when they hosted the Lions.
Against common opponents, both teams have wins over the Bears, Texans, Jaguars, Titans, and Colts, while the Lions have a win over the Vikings and the Packers lost their game with them back in late September. The Packers’ only other loss on the season came against the Eagles in Week 1.
Since their meeting in Week 9, the Lions had a comeback win in Houston, put up 52 points on Jacksonville, took care of business in Indianapolis, and snuck by the Bears on Thanksgiving. The Packers had their bye week following their loss to the Lions, then also snuck past the Bears with a blocked field goal as time expired, and then hosted and feasted on the 49ers and Dolphins the previous two weeks.
The Packers come into this game rolling and with convincing wins over two tough teams at home, they may be playing some of their best football of the season. Meanwhile, the Lions have looked a bit lethargic at times on offense, but have been able to turn it on when they’ve needed to. Their defense is the biggest question mark right now, but they’ve found a way to make their “next-man-up” philosophy work and have held their last three opponents to 20 points or under (Bears 20, Colts 6, and Jaguars 6).
