Lions vault past Chiefs as Super Bowl betting favorites

The Detroit Lions vaulted past the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday as favorites to win the Super Bowl.

The Lions, at +375 on ESPN BET, overtook the Chiefs (+450) following Detroit’s dismantling of the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11. Meanwhile, the Chiefs were handed their first defeat of the season, a 30-21 road loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Detroit entered Sunday’s contest against Jacksonville as a 14-point favorite and rolled to a 52-6 home victory to improve to 8-2 against the spread, tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the best against-the-spread record across the league. The Lions had the most lopsided action of the day, with BetMGM reporting 94% of money backing them to cover.

Favorites of over nine points are now 6-0 against the spread this season, with the Lions accounting for two of those wins after they easily covered -12.5 against the Tennessee Titans in Week 8; it’s the first time since 1996 that Detroit has been a double-digit favorite twice in one season.

The Lions’ immense betting popularity also extends to player props. According to bet tracking tool Pikkit, running back Jahmyr Gibbs was the most-bet player across all props markets, attracting $815,000 in wagers tracked by the app. Gibbs was also the second-most-bet pick to score a touchdown on Sunday, which he did with a 1-yard run in the second quarter.

Detroit entered the campaign at +1000 to win the Super Bowl and was a public darling from the get-go, attracting the second-most tickets and handle behind only the two-time defending champion Chiefs at several national sportsbooks.