Lions vault past Chiefs as Super Bowl favorites

The Detroit Lions vaulted past the Kansas City Chiefs as Super Bowl favorites on Sunday.

The Lions, at +375 on ESPN BET, overtook the Chiefs (+450) following Detroit’s dismantling of the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11. Meanwhile, the Chiefs were handed their first defeat of the season, a 30-21 road loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Detroit entered Sunday’s contest against Jacksonville as a 14-point favorite and rolled to a 52-6 victory to improve to 8-2 against the spread, tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the best against the spread record in the league. The Lions had the most lopsided action of the day, with BetMGM reporting 94% of money backing them to cover.

Favorites of over nine points are now 6-0 against the spread this season, with the Lions accounting for two of those wins after they easily covered -12.5 against the Tennessee Titans in Week 8; it’s the first time since 1996 that Detroit has been a double-digit favorite twice in one season.

The Lions’ immense betting popularity also extends to player props. According to bet tracking tool Pikkit, running back Jahmyr Gibbs was the most-bet player across all props markets, attracting $815,000 in wagers tracked by the app. Gibbs was also the second-most-bet pick to score a touchdown on Sunday, which he did with a one-yard run in the second quarter.

Detroit entered the campaign at +1000 to win the Super Bowl and were a public darling from the get-go, attracting the second-most tickets and handle behind only the two-time defending champion Chiefs at several national sportsbooks.