Getty Matt Patricia looks on before facing the Giants.
The Detroit Lions have been busy during free agency trying to change their fortunes, but their efforts might not be working in the eyes of the oddsmakers.
Some new odds on the team’s win total from oddsmakers show that the Lions have more work to do, and several don’t like the moves already. The Lions expected win total for 2020 took a dip, from 7 games to 6.5 games. In other words, the Lions are now projected to win as many games as they won in Matt Patricia’s first season at the helm.
Safe to say this type of effort wouldn’t do for the Lions, who want to see the team take steps forward toward the playoffs and beyond next season. That’s especially true after the team has spent big in free agency and been named one of the teams doing better work during this period.
Detroit has the draft to try and change the narrative, and by no means is the offseason completely over. As it stands now, though, confidence in the team in the minds of the bettors only seems to be slipping.
Earlier Lions 2020 Odds Were Similar
According to the oddsmakers a month ago, there is a chance at some modest improvement for the Lions next season, but not the kind that would get many people very fired up whatsoever. An early look at some of the odds for next season shows the Lions expected to improve upon their 3-12-1 record, but not in the way most people probably expect. Similarly, a 6.5 win season was projected before.
NFC North 2020 win totals lines via @betonline_ag:
Bears: 8
Lions: 6.5
Packers: 9.5
Vikings: 9.5
Top NFC numbers: SF (10.5), New Orleans (10), Philadelphia (10)
To not see anyone hyping the Lions chances in 2020 is not a surprise. The team has been inconsistent at best under Matt Patricia, and it seems to be a safe bet to say the Lions won’t achieve more than 6 victories for folks in Las Vegas right now.
Even such, the chance does exist for a turnaround considering the health of the team and offseason replacements that can be made in terms of personnel. If that’s the case, dedicated folks could stand to cash in if they believe the Lions will indeed be better than this projection.
At this point, though, there isn’t much excitement about the Lions being anything other than close to a last place team. The latest projections continue to mimic that.
Lions 2020 Playoff Hopes
Detroit started the 2019 season in decent enough shape at 2-0-1, but things took a turn after that point. Injuries piled up across the roster, and Detroit lost quarterback Matthew Stafford for an elongated amount of time to a back injury. The Lions never hit their stride and lost plenty of close games through the middle of the season as their roster got worse and worse hit with the injury bug.
The struggles of the team to stay healthy certainly does little to excuse the inconsistent play of the team’s defense. Offensively, the Lions looked to be heading for a solid season under Darrell Bevell until the bottom fell out. The defense was a wreck from start to finish, however, and that could be the side of the ball that needs the most turnover if the Lions are to be contenders.
Another big question was who will be coaching the Lions in 2020. While many questioned whether Matt Patricia would come back or not, the team revealed his return, meaning it will be Patricia leading his team into these games in 2020.
Perhaps that leads to some of the low win total expectations.
Lions Schedule Difficulty
The Lions have been no stranger to playing a last place schedule lately. Just this season it happened for the team after they went 6-10 in 2018. Prior to that, the Lions had played a much better schedule given their higher finish from 2017, but were not able to capitalize. Detroit has found life just as difficult with an easier schedule, and will once again have that to deal with in 2020.
An easier schedule hasn’t led to great results before, and it seems most are resigned to that not being the case once again for the team in 2020.
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