Lions leapfrog Chiefs as Super Bowl betting favorites

The Detroit Lions jumped past the Kansas City Chiefs as Super Bowl favorites on Sunday.

The Lions, at +375 on ESPN BET, overtook the Chiefs (+450) after Detroit dismantled the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11. Meanwhile, the Chiefs suffered their first loss 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 victory to improve to 8-2 against the spread, tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the best against the spread record in the league. The Lions had the most lopsided action of the day, with BetMGM reporting that 94% of the money was backing them.

Favorites over nine points are now 6-0 against the spread this season, with the Lions accounting for two of those wins after easily covering -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’ huge betting popularity also extends to player props. According to bet tracking tool Pikkit, running back Jahmyr Gibbs was the most wagered player in all prop markets, attracting $815,000 in bets tracked by the app. Gibbs was also the second-highest pick to score a touchdown 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 start, drawing the second-most tickets and trailing only the two-time defending champion Chiefs at several national sportsbooks.