Do you remember what you were doing on Nov. 22, 2020? That date is the last time the Detroit Lions had been betting favorites in a regular-season game, but they have opened -2.5 at Caesars Sportsbook for this Sunday's home game against the Washington Commanders, thus marking the first time the team is favored under head coach Dan Campbell. Detroit has played 24 straight games as an underdog, the longest active streak in the NFL and longest for the Lions in the Super Bowl era.
The last time the Lions were home favorites was Nov. 15, 2020 agains t this same Washington team. Detroit won that game 30-27. While Detroit lost 38-35 this past Sunday at home vs. Philadelphia, it did manage a backdoor cover thanks to a Jared Goff 22-yard touchdown pass to DJ Chark with 3:51 left. The Eagles led 31-14 early in the third quarter. Philadelphia sealed the win on Jalen Hurts' quarterback sneak that converted a fourth-and-1 from the Detroit 40 with 50 seconds left.
Lions No. 2 overall pick'Aidan Hutchinson remains the +500 favorite at Caesars to win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors even though the former Michigan star and 2021 Heisman Trophy runner-up was pretty quiet in his debut with just one assisted tackle. There were multiple times when Hutchinson got a hand on Hurts but couldn't complete the sack. Another rookie, sixth-round linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez, was the Detroit defense's highest-graded performer via Pro Football Focus with six tackles. He's not a betting option at Caesars for DROY. Rodr iguez already is a bit of a fan favorite after being prominently featured on HBO's “Hard Knocks.”
The Lions haven't been very successful in close games under Campbell. They have seven losses in one-score games since the start of 2021, tied with the Panthers for second-most in the league. Detroit's .250 winning percentage (2-7-1 record) in such games ranks fifth-worst in the NFL in that span.