Week 7 opening odds: Detroit Lions road underdogs against Baltimore Ravens

The Detroit Lions are still on the road in Week 7 taking on the Baltimore Ravens, and for the second week in a row, they’ll be taking a team that is in first place in their division (AFC North).

Despite winning their last four games by at least 14 points and possessing a 5-1 record that puts them in first place in the NFL, the folks over at DraftKings, are favoring the Ravens (4-2) in this game and are giving a Lions +2.5 point spread.

The Ravens opened their season with victories over the Texans and Bengals, lost to the Colts in overtime, and then bounced back to convincingly beat the Browns in Week 4. They dropped an ugly game to the Steelers in Week 5, then fortunately held off a Titans team, who were making a serious comeback in London, England.

The NFL previously forced teams to take their bye week following a game overseas, but recently allowed teams the option of returning home to play their next game as a secondary option. This year, the Ravens elected to play at home following their game in Europe, and will be hoping the time change isn’t too big of a factor in their preparation for the Lions.

The Ravens have always proven a tough test for the Lions and this game figures to be more of the same. An elite mobile quarterback, a stout, fast defense, and a smart coach who has seen it all.

But these Lions are unlike any team most of us have ever seen. They are balanced, efficient, and have overcome nearly every obstacle put in front of them. They know how to weather injuries, they jump out to early leads, they can beat you with the pass or run game, and their defense is operating at every level. They are calm, calculated, and are relentless in their aggression.

The Lions will likely be favorites in all of their remaining game—save, maybe at Dallas late in the season—but they will enter this week as underdogs. And I’m sure that role suits them just fine.