Week 11 opening odds: Detroit Lions huge favorites over Chicago Bears

The Detroit Lions are 7-2, sit atop the NFC North, and are currently positioned at the No. 2 seed in the NFC. In Week 11, they will host the Chicago Bears—3-7 and in last place in the division—for the first of two meetings over the next four weeks.

When the 2023 schedule was released, the Lions were initially 5-point favorites, and since then, the Lions’ terrific start to the season, combined with the Bears struggling, has only opened things up more.

That had led to the folks over at DraftKings setting the Week 11 opening betting line as Lions -9 points. The moneyline settles in at Lions -440, while the Bears are at +340, further illustrating the national confidence in the Lions right now.

The Bears have been playing without a few of their starters, including quarterback Justin Fields, running back Khalil Herbert, and prized free-agent linebacker Tremaine Edmunds—all three could return this week. Yet, despite their injuries to key players, the Bears have won two of their last four games, beating the Panthers 16-13 last Thursday and smashing the Raiders 30- 12 in Week 7. Sandwiched in between were losses to the Chargers (30-13) and Saints (24-17).

Meanwhile, the Lions have won their last two—Chargers (41-38) and Raiders (26-14)—with a bye week in between where they got very healthy with the extra rest. It was a complete game for the Lions against Las Vegas, but following the bye, the defense struggled in Los Angeles and relied on their offense to carry them to victory.

Divisional games can always be tricky, but coach Dan Campbell puts an emphasis on them—the Lions have won their last six games against NFC North teams—so expect the Lions to quickly get back to work after returning home from California.