The Detroit Lions came into the 2023 NFL season with the ninth-best odds to win Super Bowl LVIII.
For a team with limited playoff success in recent years and the unfortunate title of one of four current NFL teams to never make a Super Bowl, the odds were high for the team.
With the Lions one game away from Super Bowl LVIII, here's a look at what comes next.
What Happened: The Lions are one of four NFL teams left in the hunt for Super Bowl LVIII and on Sunday could put to rest having its name on the list of teams to never make a Super Bowl.
"You know, technically, I'm not even really supposed to be here right now. So f*** it. Might as well make the most of it," Eminem raps in "Cinderella Man."
Detroit native Eminem has been at several Lions games and his songs are used in hype videos. The lyrics to "Cinderella Man" still ring true, despite the high expectations at the start of the 2023 NFL season.
"Mediocrity can no longer be allowed to fly. So say bye to the old, H-I to the new."
The Lions face the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Conference Championship game Sunday. The game, which takes place in San Francisco at 6:30 p.m. airs on Fox Corporation FOXFOXA owned FOX.
According to data from DraftKings Inc DKNG, the Lions are a 7.5 point underdog in the game and pay out +270 on the moneyline. This means a $100 bet on the Lions to win the game would pay out a profit of $270.
The public is cheering for the Lions and also backing them with their betting dollars, which could be bad news for sportsbooks if the Lions can pull off the upset as “Cinderella Man.”
BetMGM, which is a joint venture of MGM Resorts International MGM and Entain, is seeing high volume bet on the Lions. According to BetMGM's John Ewing, 88% of the public bets are on the Lions moneyline for the game and 65% are on the Lions +7 spread for the game.
At DraftKings, 67% of the bets and 70% of the betting handle are on the Lions to win the game at +270.
TwinSpires, which is a unit of Churchill Downs Inc CHDN, also has a large amount of bets on the Lions.
"Cinderella teams like Detroit usually end up being a popular bet, especially on moneyline. Lions outright would guarantee a losing Sunday for us," TwinSpires Zach Lucas said, as shared by betting reporter Patrick Everson.
Why It's Important: One factor working against sportsbooks is the fact that online sports betting is legal in Michigan and not legalized in the state of California, home of the 49ers. This means a large percentage of Michigan bettors could be impacting the overall national betting on the game.
The public outside of Michigan is also getting behind the Lions, according to several maps that have gone viral. One map showed that of the four teams left in contention to win Super Bowl LVIII, the Lions were the favorite of 37 states. Another map showed that every state except California was rooting for the Lions to win the NFC Conference Championship game.
A poll of Benzinga Twitter users recently showed the Lions ranking second among teams for who would win Super Bowl LVIII at 24% of the vote. The Ravens won the poll at 38.9% with the 49ers and Chiefs third and fourth with 19.6% and 17.5% of the vote respectively.
The Lions tied for the second-best record in the NFL at 12-5 in the 2023 season. The team was also a league best 12-5 against-the-spread during the season, according to data from Covers.
For Lions players, the time could be now to make it to a first Super Bowl in team history. The opportunity could be perfectly summed up in another Eminem song.
"Look, if you had one shot or one opportunity, to seize everything you ever wanted in one moment. Would you capture it or just let it slip?" – Eminem ("Lose Yourself")
Read Next: LA Chargers Tap Coach Jim Harbaugh: A Look At Past NFL Success, Impact On Betting Odds
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