Getty A Lions fan shows frustration during a 2022 game.
At the conclusion of every NFL season, there isn’t much time that elapses before folks start pondering what will play out in the very next year on the field.
For the Detroit Lions, that’s good news most of the time considering the team is almost never one of the last teams standing historically, thus next season can never come fast enough. Not surprisingly, the team isn’t facing great odds of being able to go worst to first and win a Super Bowl.
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After the 2022 Super Bowl ended, MGM revealed some brand new odds for the championship next season. Detroit wasn’t high on the list whatsoever, and was actually tied with the Houston Texans and the New York Jets for the longest odds in the NFL of claiming the Lombardi Trophy. Chris Burke of The Athletic provided a look at some of the first odds thus far:
The Lions open at +15000 to win Super Bowl LVII, via @BetMGM, matching the Texans and Jets for the longest odds.
Packers:: +1600
Vikings: +4000
Bears: +6600
Early favorites are the Bills and Chiefs, each at +750.
“The Lions open at +15000 to win Super Bowl LVII, via BetMGM, matching the Texans and Jets for the longest odds. Packers: +1600. Vikings: +4000. Bears: +6600. Early favorites are the Bills and Chiefs, each at +750,” Burke tweeted.
It’s not a surprise to see the Lions failing to make the grade ahead of the offseason in terms of the future odds. During the 2021 season, the Lions were very clearly in a rebuild and played plenty of young players along the way. Next season, the Lions should have more experience from these players, but still have lots of roster building to do. As a result, few people expect them to be able to win it all and make a run through the playoffs.
In the future, the Lions could well position themselves to make a surprise run in the NFC, but for now, there seems to be more work yet to be done with regards to building the team. Instead of worrying about Super Bowl odds, the Lions need to stay focused on the future and stick to their plan.
Lions Finished as Monsters Against Spread in 2021
To say the odds have not been kind to the Lions in the past would be an understatement, but just this past season, they showed they didn’t much care what the oddsmakers thought of their potential inability to win games. Detroit was one of the best teams against the spread this year as John Ewing from BetMGM pointed out in a tweet, going 11-6 for the season.
Best teams against the spread this season:
Cowboys 13-5 ATS
Bengals 14-7 ATS
Packers 12-6 ATS
Lions 11-6 ATS
49ers 12-8 ATS
Colts 10-7 ATS
Bills 10-7-2 ATS
Worst teams:
Falcons 6-10-1 ATS
Giants 6-11 ATS
Jets 6-11 ATS
Bears 6-11 ATS
Panthers 5-12 ATS
Jaguars 5-12 ATS
Down the stretch, the Lions scored some massive upset wins including a victory over playoff chasing teams like Minnesota, Arizona and Green Bay as well as a surprising tie against Pittsburgh. Three out of those four teams would end up in the postseason, showing the resilient the team has and displaying how they can indeed play with anyone in the league.
Lions’ 2022 Schedule Preview
If there’s a tiny bit of good news that could help the team improve, it revolves around the fact that Detroit will play a last place schedule next season by virtue of the way they finished 2021. That means tangling with the last place teams in NFC divisions. Beyond that, the team plays the AFC and NFC East divisions on the schedule for 2022, which Chris Burke of The Athletic also pointed out in a tweet a few moths back.
@Barry45562166 Easts. Eagles/WFT/Bills/Dolphins at home; Cowboys/Giants/Jets/Patriots on the road.
This would mean that the Lions would play the likes of Dallas, Washington, Philadelphia and the New York Giants while tangling with Miami, the New York Jets, New England and Buffalo in their AFC crossovers. Add it all up and it seems like another tough schedule for the Lions overall next year once things get finalized come next April.
Schedule reveal as well as changes to teams via free agency and the draft could change the outlook significantly, but for now, the Lions seem to be lagging behind in the Super Bowl odds. That will likely surprise none of their fans in the least bit.
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