The opening betting lines for Week 17 have been released and the Detroit Lions open as road favorites over the San Francisco 49ers on “Monday Night Football.”
In Week 17, the Detroit Lions (13-2) will travel back to California’s Bay area, to take on the San Francisco 49ers (6-9) on “Monday Night Football.”
The folks at FanDuel Sportsbook have set the initial betting lines for Week 17 and they’re already seeing some movement. After opening at the Lions -3 points, things quickly moved to Lions -3.5 points as some early bets came in.
This is, of course, a rematch of last year’s NFC Championship game, but this matchup likely won’t have the same atmosphere as last year, as these teams are in very different spots this time around. The Lions, are currently slotted as the No. 1 seed in the NFC, while the 49ers have already been eliminated from playoff contention.
While this game lacks much meaning for the 49ers—beyond playing for pride—there is a wide range of importance for the Lions.
Playoffs impact
The Lions enter this week with the Minnesota Vikings (13-2) nipping at their heels in the race for the NFC North crown and the No. 1 seed. Logic would suggest that the Lions find themselves in a must-win situation in order to maintain their advantage in playoff seeding. However, because the Lions and Vikings play each other in the season finale (at Ford Field), and the Vikings’ Week 17 game (against the Packers) is played on Sunday, Detroit could have a ton to play for… or nothing at all.
Let’s break it down.
If the Vikings lose to the Packers, the Lions would enter Monday Night with a chance to win the NFC North and claim the No. 1 seed, by beating the 49ers. With a win, neither the Vikings nor the Eagles would be able to overtake the Lions because even if they match Detroit’s season record, the Lions hold tiebreakers over both teams. If the Lions lose, no harm, they play the Vikings for the title and No. 1 seed in Week 18.
If the Vikings beat the Packers, the Lions game with the 49ers will not impact the playoff seeding. For example, if the Lions beat the 49ers, both Detroit and Minnesota would be 14-2 and the Lions would still need to beat the Vikings in the finale to have a better record. If the Lions lose to the 49ers and beat the Vikings, their records would be tied (14-3), and the Lions hold the tiebreakers, giving them the advantage. If the Lions lose to the Vikings, they’d drop to the No. 5 seed because the Vikings would have a better record, regardless of whether the Lions win or lose to the 49ers.
Lions vs. 49ers
As for the actual Lions vs. 49ers game, Detroit enters with loads of confidence and has overcome virtually every obstacle in their path this season, while San Francisco has looked like a shell of themselves and has lost five of their last six games.
“Sunday’s loss almost perfectly encapsulated their year,” ESPN’s Nick Wagoner wrote about the 49ers 29-17 loss to the Dolphins in Week 16. “One third-quarter offensive possession featured a starter getting injured (left tackle Jaylon Moore), a pair of costly penalties by rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall and another special teams miscue as kicker Jake Moody missed from 41 yards. It was quintessential 2024 Niners football.”
Regardless of the playoff implications, you can bet that coach Dan Campbell will have his team ready to claim victory in Santa Clara—even if it’s only to exercise some of the demons left over from last season.
