Opening Odds: Detroit Lions slight underdogs to New York Jets in Week 15

The good folks over at DraftKings Sportsbook are setting up a bit of deja vu for Detroit Lions fans. In Week 15, the Lions will be taking on the New York Jets and the sportsbook has set the opening line as Detroit plus one.

After taking down the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 13—and winning four of their last five games—the Lions opened up last Sunday night as one-point underdogs to the then-10-2 Minnesota Vikings for Week 14. By Monday afternoon, the betting line shifted and the Lions were favored by 2.5 points.

A growing question throughout the national media was “Why was a then-5-7 team favored over a 10-2 Vikings team?” This Sunday the Lions showed them why, winning 34-23 in convincing fashion.

So here we are again, staring at the same betting line against a team with a winning record. The Jets are 7-6, but they are also coming off two losses in a row and are 2-4 in their last six games (the Lions are 5-1 in their last six). On Sunday, the Jets fell 20-12 to the Buffalo Bills (the Lions lost to the Bills by 3 points on a last-minute field goal—their only loss in the last 6 weeks), and the week prior, the Jets lost to the Vikings 27-22, a team the Lions just beat by two scores.

The Jets are by no means going to be an easy matchup, mainly because New York has a top 5 defense that is expected to slow down the surging Detroit offense—of note, the over/under has already dipped from 48 to 46.5 points—but the non-contact calf injury to Quinnen Williams could be a factor in the upcoming game. On offense, the Jets have been inconsistent, and their current starting quarterback, Mike White, was also forced from the Bills game twice due to rib injuries. He is expected to start against the Lions, pending his health checks out.

So, with key injuries for the Jets and the Lions rolling of late—you can throw your season-long statistics that don’t properly illustrate what this team has done over the last six games out—should we expect to see some movement on the betting line again this week?

It’s hard to say for certain, but as I said at the top, this definitely has some deja vu vibes.