Lions Betting Tracker: Detroit Misses Playoffs, But Optimism Abounds

Detroit had its playoff hopes dashed when Seattle beat the Los Angeles Rams in overtime Sunday afternoon. But that setback didn't keep the Lions from taking advantage of the Sunday Night Football spotlight and inspiring plenty of optimism for the 2023 season.

Jamaal Williams scored on a 1-yard run with 5:55 left in the game, and Kerby Joseph intercepted Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers on the Packers' last possession, leading Detroit to a 20-16 victory. The Lions win eliminated Green Bay from the postseason, sending the Seahawks to the NFC playoffs.

And it sent Lions players and fans into the offseason with as much excitement as you can have after missing the playoffs.

Detroit went 8-2 in its final 10 games to post its first winning season since 2017. The Lions will likely be a trendy favorite when 2023 NFL odds are posted at MI sports betting apps.

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Lions Postseason Chances at a Glance

Here's a look at what the Lions' odds looked like heading into the last week of the regular season.

Want to place bets on the Lions? The best Michigan sportsbooks offer bettors all of these markets but with varying odds, which means there is value in shopping around. We recommend checking a few betting apps before placing a bet.

The Detroit Lions have not made the playoffs since the 2016 season. According to BetMGM Michigan Sportsbook, the Lions' playoff chances were 10.9% entering the final week of the season.

The Lions were monsters this season against the spread, winning 12 of their 17 games for bettors. They were an even more impressive 7-1 against the spread at home.

How did Detroit defy the experts? A lot of it had to do with how well quarterback Jared Goff protected the ball. Although he was over on his passing yards and passing touchdown totals nine times this year, he hit the under on his interception total (threw no INTs in a game) 13 times.

Because of that, Detroit hit its individual over in total points 12 times this season. And a Lions defense that gave up big point totals early — and faced some huge opposing team betting totals — was able to eventually do its part by holding opponents to the under 10 times this season.

Receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was a breakout star, and that showed in the fact he was over his receiving yardage total nine times this season.

The above chart represents the over/under record of each prop bet based on the official lines provided by BetMGM Sportsbook Michigan. The lines that were used in the above chart were tracked at 1 p.m. ET on the Friday before a Sunday game (or as soon as the lines were available if they weren't posted Friday).

The final win total for the Detroit Lions was 8.5 wins. It had dropped to 5.5 before the team caught fire mid-season. The Lions won just three games in 2021. Detroit didn't win its first game in 2021 until Week 13.

The Detroit Lions have never won the Super Bowl. In fact, they have never appeared in a Super Bowl in franchise history. After 17 weeks, the Lions Super Bowl odds were +10000. They were as low as +60000 and as high as +5500 during the season.