Heading into the 2022 season, an unlikely candidate became the most popular team to gamble on. When the NFL schedule came out in May, SportsBooks rushed to create over/under win totals, Super Bowl odds, division winner odds, and more. Of every possible off-season bet to be made, The Detroit Lions have been wagered on the most.
The Wagers
Six wins was the initial line for the Detroit Lions over/under win total at Caesers SportsBook. The Over on this specific wager was the most popular NFL line in June, according to Max Meyer of CaesarsSports. The Lions are an ascending team, perhaps succeeding in the initial rebuild timeline. Detroit Head Coach Dan Campbell and General Manager Brad Holmes have both been very vocal about their satisfaction with the direction the team is heading in, despite having just three wins a season ago.
Direction of Team
Campbell, entering his second season with Detroit, recently predicted the 2022 Lions to have a Rich Strike-type season. Rich Strike, of course, the horse that miraculously won the Kentucky Derby at 80-1 odds. Campbell acknowledged the groundwork put in last season and how it relates to the success of the upcoming campaign.
“I know that people are probably tired of hearing foundation and the culture, but I do feel like we set that in year one. I do feel like that, for us, was the primary goal… Now, in year two, we feel like we have that foundation built now. Let’s start stacking on top of it,” said the head coach in an interview with Peter King of NBC.
As for GM Brad Holmes, his tremendous performance at the draft helped the Lions land Jameson Williams, from Alabama.
“I had Jameson in his own box…You want to be as sure as possible with first-round players, of course, and I was absolutely convinced on Jameson…the speed, how fluid he was, how confident he played,” said Holmes in an interview with NBC’s Peter King.
Holmes used the 32nd pick (via the Rams) and an additional third-round pick to move up and take Willams. Prior to Williams tearing his ACL, both Hutchinson and Williams were consensus top-5 picks. Holmes landed both of them.
Additional Bets
It doesn’t hurt that the Lions have the fifth easiest schedule in the league this season. Regardless, people are beginning to recognize what the Lions are establishing in Detroit.
Along with over six wins bet, Dan Campbell reeled in more wagers to win coach of the year than any other coach in the league. Having some screen time on HBO’s Hard Knocks will definitely give him a head start, but who’s complaining?
Bettors are also high on running back Deandre Swift, as he has drawn the most money as the 2022 NFL rushing leader. Behind the best Offensive Line in the NFL, anything is plausible.
https://twitter.com/TheMaxMeyer/status/1549762437024546817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1549762437024546817%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2FTheMaxMeyer2Fstatus2F1549762437024546817widget%3DTweet