Opening odds for the Detroit Lions’ Week 17 game against the Dallas Cowboys.
The Detroit Lions are on the road for the final time in the 2023 regular season, when they take on the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17.
The Lions (11-4) just clinched the NFC North title , securing a home playoff game in January, while the Cowboys (10-5)—who have also locked up a spot in the postseason—are in the thick of a division title chase of their own.
At the start of the week, the folks over at DraftKings set the Week 17 opening betting line at Lions +6.5, with the moneyline settled at Lions +225 and Cowboys -278, with the over/under line set at 53.5 points.
With the Lions having the better record and having won two games in a row, while the Cowboys have lost their last two outings, setting the betting line as Cowboys being near touchdown favorites seems off. But there are two things to consider here:
- Currently, the Cowboys are a game behind an 11-4 Philadelphia Eagles team, and with just two games remaining in the season, Dallas can’t afford to lose this game.
- The Cowboys are 7-0 at home and haven’t just been winning games in Dallas, they’ve been throttling their opponents by wide margins.
At home this season, the Cowboys have scored at least 30 points in every game, while only allowing the Seahawks to break the 30-point barrier. Their margin of victory in each of their wins is impressive, beating every opponent (except the Seahawks) by at least 20 points—the Jets and Eagles by 20, Rams by 23, Giants by 32, along with the Patriots and Commanders by 35.
But don’t expect the Lions to just lay down now that the NFC North title is in their hands. While the Lions seem destined for the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the NFC, after a 49ers loss on Christmas night, the No. 1 seed in the NFC is suddenly back in play for Detroit . Additionally, the Cowboys have lost their last two games (Bills 31-10 and Dolphins 22-20), only putting up 30 combined points.