Opening odds: Detroit Lions slight road favorites over Green Bay Packers in Week 4

The Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers will meet on Thursday night to kick off Week 4 in the NFL. Both teams are 2-1 and hoping to get back several key injured members of their roster as they fight for the division lead.

The Lions are coming off a solid 20-6 bounce-back win over the previously undefeated Atlanta Falcons. It was an impressive win, as they overcame working with a roster that was without several starters, including RB David Montgomery, LT Taylor Decker, RG Halapoulivaati Vaitai, CB Emmanuel Moseley, S Kerby Joseph, and S C.J. Gardner Johnson.

The Packers, meanwhile, completed an 18-17 comeback win over the New Orleans Saints and were without several starters of their own. Injured starters included RB Aaron Jones, WR Christian Watson, LT David Bakhtiari, LG Elgton Jenkins, and CB Jaire Alexander.

With just three days to recover and test injured players, which players are able to recover quickly could play a factor in how the betting line adjusts. For now, the opening betting line, courtesy of the folks over at DraftKings, favors Detroit with a Lions -1 spread. This is not far off the original spread from back in May when the Lions were favored by a point and a half following the 2023 schedule release.

While both teams are sporting a 2-1 record and working through injuries, the vibes surrounding these two teams feel very different. The Lions made a “huge statement” on defense in their win, while rookies were breaking records on offense. Meanwhile, the energy surrounding the Packers is a bit less enthusiastic.

“Comeback aside, this was a really gross game to watch,” The Acme Packing Company (SB Nation’s Packers site) wrote in their winner and loser recap. “From the ugly Emanuel Wilson pass-attempt to the outrageous number of drops by WRs, things just looked really sloppy today.”

The Lions have won their last three head-to-head games against the Packers and will be looking to make it four in a row on “Thursday Night Football.”