Things couldn’t have gone any worse for the Detroit Lions in a season-Sportsbook 48-17 blowout loss to the New York Jets, but Matthew Stafford and company will have an opportunity to put that performance behind them when they hit the road to do battle with Jimmy Garoppolo and the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in Week 2. Sportsbooks opened the Lions as 5.5-point road underdogs with a total of 47.5.
- The Lions are 0-12 SU in their last 12 games on the road against the 49ers (avg. losing margin: 13.83).
- The 49ers are 0-8 ATS in their last eight games as home favorites.
- The total has gone UNDER in six of the Lions’ last eight games against the 49ers (avg. combined score: 39.5).
Can the Lions bounce back from a head-scratching showing?
The Lions entered the matchup with the Jets as heavy -7 faves, and failed to cover that number by 38 points. Yikes. Detroit opened the game with a pick-six of rookie signal-caller Sam Darnold but proceeded to get outscored 48-10 the rest of the way. Even worse for the Lions is the status of defensive end Ziggy Ansah and guard T.J. Lang, who both left the game with injuries.
Lions have a poor track record in San Fran
Quarterback Matthew Stafford was knocked around badly in the Jets game and finished with 286 yards for one touchdown and four interceptions. Making things worse for Lions bettors is Detroit’s inability to win in the Bay Area, as the Lions are 0-12 SU in their last 12 road games vs the Niners with an average losing margin of 13.9 points.
The Lions are also 8-21 SU in their last 29 road games in September, 2-5 ATS in their previous seven games as road underdogs and 2-13 SU in their past 15 games on the West Coast.
49ers will need more from Jimmy G in Week 2
The hype surrounding Garoppolo reached a fever pitch in the offseason, but the ex-New England Patriot didn’t exactly live up to it in Week 1. The 26-year-old had major issues with a stout Minnesota Vikings defense, throwing three interceptions compared to one touchdown and 261 yards through the air to go along with a 45.5 completion percentage. San Francisco failed to cover the +6 spread in a 24-16 loss to Kirk Cousins and company.
According to betting trends, 49ers may be in a tough spot
When it comes to trends regarding the Niners at home, San Francisco simply hasn’t been covering the spread as a home favorite. In the 49ers’ last eight as home chalk, they’re a pitiful 0-8 ATS. The Niners are also 3-12 SU and 4-11 ATS in their last 15 at Levi’s Stadium.
Why I’m on the UNDER in this one
The Lions defense looked very bad in Week 1, and for that reason alone I expect the OVER to get a lot of traction at sportsbooks. But the Sportsbook 47.5 number is relatively high for a Lions offense that struggled mightily to put points on the board, and these teams have a history of going UNDER totals, as six of the last eight matchups between the teams has gone UNDER.
