Lions are favorites for the first time in nearly two years

The Detroit Lions are on the verge of doing something they haven't done in nearly two years. The Lions opened the week as a 2.5-point favorite over the Washington Commanders for their Week 2 game on Sunday. ESPN’s Eric Woodyard highlights that if the line holds, the Lions will end a streak of 24 games as underdogs.

The last time Detroit was favored was Nov. 22, 2020, when it was a 1-point favorite on the road against quarterback PJ Walker and the Carolina Panthers. The Lions went on to lose 20-0.

When asked about being favorites, Lions head coach Dan Campbell responded, “All that doesn’t matter,” according to Woodyard. Campbell added his team needs to play better.

The Lions lost their season-opener 38-35 to the Philadelphia Eagles. Philadelphia rushed for 216 yards, and Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown had 10 catches for 155 yards.

The Vegas line is interesting, considering the Commanders are coming off a win against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Quarterback Carson Wentz and the Commanders’ offense looked impressive.

Wentz completed 27-of-41 passes for 313 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions. His four touchdowns spread between his top-3 wide receivers, Jahan Dotson (2), Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel. Meanwhile, running back Antonio Gibson had 130 total yards on 21 touches.

It will be interesting to see if the line holds. Lions star running back D’Andre Swift did not practice Wednesday due to an ankle injury.