This early spring period is a bit of a lull in the NFL betting space. The initial rush of NFL free agency has come and gone, and the NFL draft is still weeks away.'
We won't see the NFL schedule release for another month or so.
Still, I'm increasingly keeping an eye on one of the biggest NFL odds stories of the offseason that absolutely no one is talking about.
People love the Detroit Lions' NFL futures odds market.
Lions Super Bowl Odds: Bettors Love Detroit
For the last couple of years, NFL odds blurbs about Super Bowl futures have mainly revolved around a handful of teams.'
It's Joe Burrow and the Bengals. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Josh Allen and the Bills. After 2022, we're interested in the short-term arcs of the 49ers and Eagles, too.'
But the Lions have been arguably the trendiest pick on the board below that top tier of teams, attracting gobs of action since the new Super Bowl betting odds were released in February. Detroit opened at +2500 and has been bet down to +2000 following the free agency period.
I asked our internal team here at BetMGM to pull some updated numbers for me as part of this little investigation I'm conducting. As of today, April 12, 7.8% of the current Super Bowl market is behind the Lions, accounting for 8.3% of the overall handle.'
The handle is higher than the Cowboys, 49ers, Jets, and Broncos, among many others. Unsurprisingly, with odds priced at 20-to-1 or longer, the Lions are BetMGM's No. 1 liability in the Super Bowl market.
'Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Detroit Lions' has been nominated for an Emmy, as it should be
pic.twitter.com/8NFlVowuk5— Barstool Detroit (@BSMotorCity) April 11, 2023
The numbers are exponentially crazier in the NFC market. A shocking 47% of all NFC Championship tickets are on Detroit.'
At market open, the Lions were fourth in the table at +1100. They're still fourth in the table, trailing the Eagles, 49ers, and Cowboys, but the number is down to +850.
And, once again, the Lions are the No. 1 liability in this market.
You might recall that the Lions got some betting hype from last offseason, too. That hype ultimately didn't pay off, as the Lions had a poor start before ultimately missing the playoffs when the Week 18 results didn't fall their way.
But just because the hype didn't pay off doesn't mean it was unfounded. The Lions had an incredible second half in 2022, and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is sticking around in Detroit for another year.'
If the Lions can play for a whole season like they did during the second half of 2022, they will be a legitimate threat to win the No. 1 seed in the NFC. They play in an easier division than other top competitors and play the same kind of tactically aggressive offense that Philadelphia used to great success last season.