Dan Campbell 'Shocked' Lions Favored to Defeat Vikings
The Detroit Lions remain 2.5-point betting favorites to defeat the Minnesota Vikings.
It is the very first occasion in the modern era that a 10-2 football team is an underdog to a 5-7 team.
"All I’ve told them is, and there again, we can’t bet. So, it has nothing to do with, that’s illegal," Lions head coach Dan Campbell expressed, when asked about his team being favored to win this week. "I’ll get banned for life from this league if I, so since we can’t bet, it has no bearing on us. But, what I would say is this, I go back to the fact, and I keep hitting this, our players have done a good job of, man, you always respect your opponent.
"This team has won 10 games now, and it doesn’t matter how you did it. You won them, and you earned that. There is no, oh it was a fluke, that doesn’t exist in this league, and they are finding ways to win," Campbell commented further. "They always have, and they’re where they’re at for a reason and you cannot overlook that. They’ve been down, they’ve been up and they always find a way. Those teams, man, if you don’t have respect for those teams, you’ll get buried by them. And, they have plenty of talent over there, too. So, it’s just the same thing. Stay the course, understand what we have to do, it’s all the little things. This opponent is gonna come in ready to go, they can win the division at our place. So, that’s the message."
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Since starting the season 1-6, the Lions have gone 4-1, turning around the narrative that the team was collapsing or not responding to the messages of the coaching staff.
Despite being favored, the Lions' roster and coaching staff are aware the Vikings have the opportunity to march into Ford Field and clinch a division title with a victory.
The Vikings have been able to go 9-0 this season when playing in one-score games.
It is not a fluke the Vikings find ways to make plays late in games or have benefitted from lucky bounces.
Campbell and the roster are aware that anything less than their best performance this week, or any week, will result in a disappointing outcome.
"I’m being as honest as I can, I really don’t know how to respond to that. I’m shocked by that, but there again, all those things don’t matter. Point spread, who’s favored, it doesn’t. This team finds ways to win, and if we’re not ready to go and we don’t handle our business," said Campbell. "It’s gonna take every one of us, coaches and players to win this game. That’s what I do know, because they’ve got plenty over there. There again, the team that finds ways to win, those are dangerous teams."
