The Detroit Lions enter 2023 with a favorable schedule, with no more than two games in a row at home or on the road (the New York Giants, in contrast, start with seven of ten on the road). Only five teams the Lions play advanced to the playoffs last season. Their Week 14 game in Chicago looks like the only real cold-weather contest on the slate, always a concern for teams who play in domes. Safety Tracy Walker has said that this is the best slate he has seen since he came to the Lions. Even the bye is balanced, coming in Week 9. The Lions have four games in prime time and their traditional Thanksgiving Day game, giving the team plenty of national attention after their terrific finish to 2022. How will their season turn out? Don’t miss our insights as you think about your NFL betting for the season.
NFL Betting News: 2023 Detroit Lions Betting Analysis
Every schedule has some challenges, of course. The Lions play in the first regular-season game of the year, opening on a Thursday night in Kansas City. They get a long time to prepare for their Week 2 opponents – the Seattle Seahawks, who come to Detroit with a newly extended Geno Smith and a solid run offense. On Week 4, the Lions play on Thursday once again, visiting Green Bay. They finish with four of six games away from Ford Field (New Orleans, Chicago, Minnesota and Dallas).
So while the Lions might start slowly, it’s likely that things will pick up along the way once again this year. Finishing with eight wins in the last 10 weeks has built plenty of confidence in the Motor City, especially that Week 18 win over Aaron Rodgers and the Packers at Lambeau Field to keep Green Bay from getting to the postseason. One question will be how much traction the Lions’ offense can get at Arrowhead, but we have seen the Kansas City defense give up plenty of points, using that high-octane offense to get wins.
After that, though, the Lions shouldn’t have a hard time getting on track. That visit from Seattle gives them a chance at revenge for a regular-season loss last year that ended up hurting them in terms of NFC tiebreakers and kept them out of the playoffs. They get Atlanta next, and while the Falcons look like a team on the rise, the Lions are well ahead of them on the rebuild curve, and this is a home game the Lions should win easily.
Weeks 4 and 5 bring a visit to Lambeau Field and a home game against Carolina. The Lions beat the Packers on that same field to finish 2022, and the Packers don’t have Aaron Rodgers anymore. The Panthers ran all over Detroit last year in a loss that was a real head-scratcher. The Panthers have a new head coach and a rookie starting quarterback, and the Lions should be able to take advantage.
Next come visits to Tampa Bay and Baltimore. The Buccaneers still have a solid defense, and we really don’t know how Baker Mayfield will work out at quarterback, but this still looks winnable. The visit to see the Ravens looked a lot more promising when Lamar Jackson was asking for a trade, but his extension, and the addition of wide receiver talent, makes this a tough road game.
Weeks 8 and 10 bring a Monday night game on Halloween against the Raiders and a visit to the Chargers, sandwiched around the team’s bye. Jimmy Garoppolo should be a solid offensive leader for the Raiders and should have fewer turnovers than his predecessor, Derek Carr – but also fewer explosive plays. The trip to the Chargers involves taking on a team with new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, quarterback Justin Herbert and an elite defense.
Weeks 11 and 12 start at home against Chicago and continue four days later against Green Bay at home, the teams’ 22 matchup on Thanksgiving. We’ll know more about Jordan Love by this point of the season, and we’ll also know how real the Lions’ improvement has been.
The season finishes with three tough games: at Minnesota, at Dallas and at home against Minnesota. I see these three games determining whether the Lions win the NFC North, settle for a wild card or end up out of the playoffs altogether. The Lions last won a division title in 1993. This time around, I see them going toe to toe with the Vikings and splitting the two games and beating the Cowboys down in Dallas, as the Cowboys tend to swoon late in the regular season.
Can this team win the division? Green Bay has a new, unproven quarterback. Minnesota has a proven team – proven to win some games and to frustrate their fans with some backbreaking losses. Chicago enters Year 2 with Justin Fields and has added talent around him, but the Lions have a better roster. I see the division coming down to the last game – and the Lions holding serve at home.
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