Week 9 NFL Odds: Packers open up as 3.5-point favorites vs Lions

Green Bay is still a road favorite despite four consecutive losses.

Despite their four-game losing streak, which could have been a five-game losing streak if third-string quarterback Bailey Zappe sealed the deal in overtime, the Green Bay Packers have opened up as 3.5-point favorites on the road against the Detroit Lions in Week 8 on DraftKings. The 1-6 Lions haven’t been much to write home about this year, either, but were able to score 27 points on Sunday after combining for six points in their previous two games.

Since head coach Dan Campbell has taken over the Lions, the team is 4-8 at home and 0-11-1 on the road. One of those wins came against the Packers in Week 18, when Green Bay pulled their starters in the second half of the game.

With that being said, the Lions were leading the Packers at the half of that game. The Lions held a lead from the middle of the second quarter and on in that end-of-the-year matchup. The two teams also played each other in an ugly game in Week 2 of last season. The Lions held a 17-14 lead at halftime of that game until the Packers rattled off 21 straight points in the second half to win 35-17.

The total for this game is listed at 49 points, which suggests a score of something in the ballpark of a 26-23 Packers win. The Packers’ season high in scoring this year has been 27 points and the last time Green Bay scored more than 21 points was in London when they put up 22 against the New York Giants.

The Packers’ moneyline in this game is -175, which implies that Green Bay wins the game 64 percent of the time. This is an absolute must-win game for the Packers, as a 3-6 record will effectively end their playoff hopes with half a season to go.

For what it’s worth, the only team Green Bay has beaten by more than a field goal this season has been the Chicago Bears, a win that came all the way back in Week 2.

This week also marks the end of a three-game road stretch and a five-game, five-stadium stretch for the Packers. Next week, Green Bay will host former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy and the Dallas Cowboys at Lambeau Field before a quick turnaround for Thursday Night Football against the Tennessee Titans and then a Sunday Night Football matchup with the NFC-leading Philadelphia Eagles.