Vegas Believes Detroit Lions Will Dominate New York Giants

Vegas oddsmakers expect the Detroit Lions to right the ship in Week 12 against the N.Y. Giants.

Despite a deflating 16-9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 11, sportsbooks still project Dan Campbell’s team to rebound in a big way when it hosts the Giants on Sunday.

According to DraftKings, the Lions enter the matchup as 10.5-point favorites, a sizable spread that reflects both Detroit’s potential to bounce back and the Giants’ ongoing struggles.

The Lions return to Ford Field after back-to-back road games, and the home environment alone should give them a lift as they attempt to regain traction in the NFC playoff race.

At 6-4 and suddenly in third place in the NFC North, Detroit is in need of a convincing win to reestablish momentum. Its ugly performance in Philadelphia – notably on the offensive side of the ball – only heightens the urgency to respond.

Fortunately for Detroit, the Giants head to the Motor City trending in the opposite direction.

New York is reeling, having lost five straight and fallen to 2-9. The organization is also now led on the sideline by Mike Kafka, after firing its head coach Brian Daboll after a 2-8 start to the season. Daboll went 20-40-1, and made one postseason appearance (and won one playoff game) in parts of four seasons with the Giants.

Additionally, the Giants will once again be without rookie running back Cam Skattebo, who became a fan favorite before a season-ending ankle injury.

However, the biggest storyline surrounding the Giants is the expected return of rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, who missed Week 11 with a concussion.

Through nine games, the first-year passer has completed 62.7 percent of his passes for 10 touchdowns and 1,417 yards. He's also thrown just three interceptions. Plus, the Ole Miss product has contributed another 317 yards and seven touchdowns as a runner.

The dual-threat signal-caller could be a handful for Detroit defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard's unit to contain. Furthermore, he provides the Giants with a much better shot to upset the Lions in this Week 12 affair than both Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston.

Yet, oddsmakers still view Dart’s presence as being unable to make up for the talent disparity between these two teams.

Detroit’s defense is equipped with a variety of playmakers, and has shown more and more flashes of high-end play as the season has progressed. Meanwhile, Campbell’s offense has historically responded well when returning home after a rough outing, and Vegas is betting on that trend to continue Sunday afternoon.

With three straight home games ahead and the playoff picture tightening, the Lions have a prime opportunity to get back on the right track. And oddsmakers clearly believe they will in Week 12 vs. the hapless Giants.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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