Vegas Believes Detroit Lions Will Have Hands Full against Chiefs

The Detroit Lions are riding high with a 4-1 record and a four-game winning streak, but Vegas oddsmakers aren’t convinced that momentum will carry over into Sunday night.

According to DraftKings, Detroit enters its primetime showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs as 2.5-point underdogs, despite looking like the more complete team through five weeks.

The Lions are coming off a 37-24 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, a game that showcased their offensive balance and defensive resilience.

Jared Goff continues to efficiently command the offense, while Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery have continued their dominance out of the backfield and Amon-Ra St. Brown has sustained his high-level play.

Meanwhile, defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard’s unit has produced positive results through the season’s first five games, forcing turnovers and limiting explosive plays.

Still, oddsmakers are giving the edge to Patrick Mahomes and the reigning AFC champion Chiefs — a team that, despite its uneven start, remains one of the league’s most dangerous when backed into a corner.

Kansas City sits at 2-3 following a narrow 31-28 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday Night Football.

Remarkably, all three of the Chiefs’ losses have come by just one score, a year after the Andy Reid-led squad won 11 one-score games (the most in league history).

The Chiefs’ slow start is an anomaly in the Mahomes era.

This is only the second time with him under center that Kansas City has had a losing record through five games; the last time came in 2021, when the Chiefs rebounded from a 2-3 start to finish 12-5 and reach the AFC Championship Game.

That historical precedent is one reason why Vegas remains hesitant to bet against them, especially at Arrowhead Stadium, one of the toughest environments in all of football.

For the Lions, Sunday’s contest presents a prime opportunity to further validate their status as legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

A win over Kansas City on the road in primetime would not only extend their win streak to five, but also serve as a statement that this franchise has truly arrived among the NFL’s elite.

A victory for Detroit Sunday would also mark its second straight win over Mahomes & Co. Dan Campbell’s squad went into Arrowhead to kick off the 2023 campaign, and escaped with a 21-20 win.

Still, until the final whistle blows Sunday night, Detroit remains the underdog – a role Campbell & Co. have embraced and thrived in throughout their rise to prominence.

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