Are the Detroit Lions undervalued in the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers?
One betting points to the Lions being a great bet to cover the spread on Sunday, as they've dominated as underdogs under head coach Dan Campbell.
In the past three seasons as underdogs of four or more points, the Lions are an amazing 17-4 against the spread.
Crazy underdog trend for the Lions:
— Joe Osborne (@JTFOz) January 23, 2024
They've gone 17-4 ATS as an underdog of 4 or more points under Dan Campbell 👀 #LionsPride
That's not all that is in the Lions' favor. The team is 21-10 against the spread as an underdog overall in Campbell's tenure as the head coach, including a 2-1 mark this season.
That is great news for bettors that are looking to back Campbell, Jared Goff and company as seven-point underdog in San Francisco in the NFC title game.
While the 49ers are a talented team and earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC, this number suggests more of a blowout -- something Campbell's teams clearly have avoided more often than not as major underdogs.
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Lions vs. 49ers odds, spread and total
Lions are elite underdog bet under Dan Campbell
The Lions are a great bet to cover as an underdog for several reasons this week.
Since 2021 when Dan Campbell took over as Detroit’s head coach, the team is 21-10 against the spread as an underdog, including a 2-1 mark ATS this season, but that's not all of it.
After failing to cover in the divisional round, the 49ers and Kyle Shanahan have slipped to 3-6 against the spread as home favorites in the 2023 season.
Overall, Shanahan is 20-22-1 ATS as a home favorite in his head coaching career.
This season, the Lions allowed the sixth most passing yards in the NFL this season and the third most net yards per pass attempt, which could be an issue in this game, but there are some positives on the team's defense.
Detroit had third best run defense in terms of yards per carry allowed (3.7) in the regular season.
Plus, Deebo Samuel’s status for this game is up in the air. San Fran is just 8-9 straight up without the star wideout since he’s been drafted.
San Francisco could still win this game, but I love Detroit to cover.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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