Not much was expected of the Detroit Lions in 2021 when they traded star quarterback Matthew Stafford and named Dan Campbell as head coach. And after the 3-13-1, some might say those expectations were justified. However, the Lions showed a lot of promise in a couple of games, created a few upsets and brought some good teams close. After a strong draft and some free agency takeovers, can Detroit continue its climb towards a postseason spot?
Collapse of the Detroit Lions
Record 2021: 3-13-1
ATS record 2021: 11-6
2021 O/U record: 7-10
key players: DJ Chark (WR), Garrett Griffin (TE), Isaiah Buggs (DL)
key players out: KhaDarel Hodge (WR), Nick Williams (DT), Trey Flowers (LB)
2022 draft class: Aidan Hutchinson (DE), Jameson Williams (WR), Josh Paschal (DE), Kerby Joseph (S), James Mitchell (TE), Malcolm Rodriguez (LB), James Houston IV (LB), Chase Lucas (CB)
Detroit Lions 2022 NFL season odds
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
Detroit Lions Super Bowl Odds
The Lions are currently available with +15000 odds Super Bowl 57 with DraftKings Sportsbook, which ranks 3rd for the largest odds in the NFL, alongside the Seahawks and the Bears. Only the Hawks and Texans stand a better chance.
Detroit Lions NFC Championship Odds
The Lions are +6000 to win the NFC ahead of the Panthers, Bears, Seahawks and Falcons in betting.
Detroit Lions NFC North Odds
Unsurprisingly, the Lions are +1000 to win the NFC North behind the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings, available at -190 and +265, respectively. However, Detroit is ahead of the Bears, who are priced at +1400.
Detroit Lions win overall odds
The Lions total winning line is set at 6.5 games for the 2022 NFL season. If you want them to win 7 or more games you can bet on them at DraftKings Sportsbook at odds of -115. If you think you will win 6 games or less then this is available at -105 odds. The Lions are +400 to make the playoffs and -550 to miss the playoffs this season.
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Detroit Lions 2022 schedule
vs Philadelphia Eagles, Sept. 11
vs. Washington Commanders, September 18
at the Minnesota Vikings, Sept. 25
vs. Seattle Seahawks, October 2
with the New England Patriots on October 9th
BYE
at the Dallas Cowboys, Oct. 23
vs. Miami Dolphins, Oct. 30
vs. Green Bay Packers, Nov. 6
at Chicago Bears, Nov. 13
at the New York Giants, Nov. 20
v Buffalo Bills, Nov. 24
v Jacksonville Jaguars, Dec. 4
vs. Minnesota Vikings, December 11
at New York Jets, December 18
at Carolina Panthers, Dec. 24
vs. Chicago Bears, Jan. 1
at Green Bay Packers, 7./8. January
We have NFL picks for EVERY matchup of the 2022 season
Recap of the Detroit Lions 2021 season
The Lions ended last season with a 3-13-1 record, ending up with the second-worst record in the NFL behind the Jacksonville Jaguars. That wasn’t entirely surprising given the Lions traded away star quarterback Matthew Stafford and got rid of a host of other key pieces for their team. As a result, their offense was lackluster at best, with Jared Goff struggling to get things going and the team lacking any real strength at receiver. Amon-Ra St. Brown and Quintez Cephus showed some potential but nothing overly exciting.
Detroit, however, stayed close in a few games, and that’s underscored by their 11-6 ATS record last season. Overall, 3-13-1 was a little harsh in terms of Dan Campbell’s team’s actual performance in 2021, but there wasn’t much to say about the team that could be this season’s Cincinnati Bengals.
Read our Super Bowl 57 predictions and best bets, including a +4500 longshot
Detroit Lions 2022 NFL Season Predictions
Overall, the Lions should improve this season. Playing twice against a weak Bears team is a big plus for starters, but the Seahawks, Giants, Jaguars, Jets and Panthers are also on their schedule. There are plenty of winnable games for Campbell’s team this year, and while making the playoffs seems like a long way off, an improvement on last season is certainly realistic. D’Andre Swift should carry the load from the backfield and Jameson Williams will be an exciting prospect at wideout. On the defensive side of the ball, Detroit can build on last year’s solid performance with Aidan Hutchinson, runner-up overall, leading the D-line.
There are reasons to be optimistic about this soft-schedule Lions team, but it’s worth noting that these “weaker” teams will be eyeing Detroit in exactly the same way.
Best Bet: Detroit Lions Under-6.5 to Win (-105)
Although I expect the Lions to be better this season than last, I think winning at least 7 games is a big challenge for them. While the above teams are 7 and all winnable, it’s still hard to see Detroit actually win all of those games. And beyond those matchups, they have twice to take on the Packers, the Bills and Eagles at home, and the Cowboys and Patriots on the road, all of whom seem to be strong teams this year. The Lions will need a lot to get their way this season if they want to finish 7-10 or better, and it’s surprising to see 6.5+ wins actually being favored. All in all, take the unders on this one.
Detroit Lions season record predictions
As I said before, I believe the Lions will improve this season, but not as much as others are expecting. Their offense still has a lot of questions to answer and they have some tough games on their schedule. Their season record prediction is they finish 5-12.
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