Getty Image / Leon Halip
There are some pivotal matchups in the NFL this weekend as teams get ready to make final push for the playoffs.
However, there’s one matchup that might not have the biggest playoff implications that is currently getting a lot of attention because of its betting line.
On Sunday, the Detroit Lions will welcome the Minnesota Vikings to Ford Field as one of the day’s early games in a rematch of a Week 3 game that the Vikings won 28-24 thanks to a late touchdown.
The Vikings were favored by almost a touchdown on their home field in their first game. This time around, the Lions are favored by 2 points.
The line has surprised some around the football world including the Lions’ head coach.
Hear from Head Coach Dan Campbell as he speaks to the media https://t.co/Uab82cYyYL
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 9, 2022
I really don’t even know how to respond to that. I’m shocked by that, but, there again, all those things don’t matter. Point spread, who’s favored — this team finds ways to win. And if we’re not ready to go and we don’t handle our business…
Dan Campbell shouldn’t be all that surprised that his team is favored this weekend and neither should anybody else.
The first time these two teams met the Lions held a 10-point lead heading into the 4th quarter and didn’t trail in the game until there were 45 seconds left.
The current version of the Lions is significantly improved from the one that we saw in the first matchup back in September.
They’ve won 4 of their last 5 games and held 3 of those opponents under 20 points. Early in the year, they were struggling on defense as they allowed 35 points per game in the first 4 weeks.
They’ve also scored 30 or more 3 times in those 5 games, putting up 40 against the Jaguars last week.
The Vikings are a good team, but they have scraped by a lot of their opponents and recently lost by 37 at home against the Cowboys, which could mean they aren’t quite as good as their record indicates.
The Detroit Lions still might not end up being the playoff team fans had hoped they’d be before the season started, but they deserve all of the respect they’re getting from oddsmakers this week.