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The Detroit Lions ended the Matt Stafford era in lackluster fashion with a 5-11 record and in last place in the NFC North. Detroit’s defense also struggled under the direction of former head coach Matt Patricia. The Lions allowed 32.4 points per game, which was good for dead last in the NFL.
That being said, the Lions moved on from Patricia and hired New Orleans Saints tight end coach Dan Campbell as their new head coach. They also dealt Stafford in a blockbuster trade to the Los Angeles Rams for Jared Goff. Then to make things more interesting in the Motor City, the Lions lost Kenny Golladay in free agency to the New York Giants.
We’ll take a look at the latest DraftKings Sportsbook lines and predict if the Vikings can beat their 2021 win total. The odds below are as of May 24, 2021.
NFC North win totals
Green Bay Packers — Off the board
Minnesota Vikings 9 (Over +125, Under -152)
Chicago Bears 7.5 (Over +103, Under -125)
Detroit Lions 5 (Over -110, Under -110)
Notable offseason moves
The Lions brought in WR Tyrell Williams, DL Michael Brockers (acquired via trade), QB Jared Goff, RB Jamaal Williams, LB Alex Anzalone, WR Breshad Perriman, CB Quinton Dunbar and drafted OT Penei Sewell in the first round of the NFL Draft.
They traded QB Matthew Stafford, released RB Kerryon Johnson, QB Chase Daniel, CB Desmond Trufant, DT Danny Shelton, TE Jesse James, CB Justin Coleman, and lost WR Kenny Golladay in free agency.
Detroit Lions prediction: Under 5 (-110)
With many teams who drafted within the top-10 of the draft this year, there aren’t many expectations for the Lions. Goff will be looking to re-establish himself as a quality starting QB in the NFL in an offense that is devoid of weapons. Detroit does have a nice stable of RBs in D’Andre Swift, Jamaal Williams, and Jermar Jefferson, who could help out the offense a ton.
There still will be a lot of questions surrounding the Lions’ defense, which did not make significant improvements in the offseason. However, if they can get one iota better than they were in 2020, I think they win more than five games. But since we are getting an even money value for both the over and under, I’m going under five wins. This WR core is nothing really special and the defense is below average.
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