As we enter the week leading up to the Detroit Lions’ Week 1 game against the Green Bay Packers, the folks over at FanDuel Sportsbook have set the opening betting line at Lions +2.5 points.
This betting line has undergone considerable movement since it was established back in May during the NFL’s schedule release. At that time, the Lions opened as 1.5-point favorites, but that number quickly changed as bets rolled in for the Packers, as the narrative surrounding the Lions was projecting a regression from last season. Within 24 hours, the line completely flipped to Packers -1.5 points, and that’s where it’s stayed all summer. After the Packers acquired edge rusher Micah Parsons last week, the bets once again poured in for Green Bay, leading to the line jumping again to the spot it is now.
This is the biggest point spread in the Lions’ opponents’ favor since Week 17 of the 2023 season, when the Lions had already clinched the NFC North and many expected Detroit to rest players against a Dallas Cowboys team desperate for a win. In 2024, the Lions were the favorite in every game except one: Week 7 against the then-unbeaten Minnesota Vikings.
But don’t look for the Lions to use this new betting line, or the fact that the Packers are now the favorites to win the NFC North, as bulletin board material.
“Vegas has done what, again? Oh, okay. Yeah, no, listen, that’s all good,” Lions coach Dan Campbell smiled when learning the Packers were favored by sportsbooks to win the NFC North. “To each their own. We haven’t talked about any of that.”
Part of that answer is likely related to Campbell’s mantra of blocking outside noise. But the fact of the matter is that Campbell is also quite comfortable coaching in Green Bay, as the Lions have won their last three trips to Lambeau Field.
“Look, they’ve got a good roster, they’ve got good coaches over there, competitive every year,” Campbell continued. “This division is tough, as we’ve said; we wouldn’t want it any other way. This is why you do it, you love this stuff, the competition that’s involved in it. Game one out at Lambeau—love Lambeau—division game, the whole deal. So, we’re going to be looking forward to it.”
