The San Francisco 49ers host the Detroit Lions this coming Sunday in Week 2, but in the meantime, the Lions still have their own Week 1 contest to play. Detroit hosts the New York Jets in the first half of the now annual Monday Night Football doubleheader that kicks off the season.
This will serve as our game thread, but I thought it made sense to combine this with a look at the opening line for the 49ers-Lions matchup. Even though Detroit has not played yet, several sportsbooks have opened lines for Week 2. The early look-ahead line last week had the 49ers favored by 3.5 points, and right now the line is sitting at three points.
The Lions are a 6.5 point favorite against the Jets. It would take a serious thumping for a Lions win to make much of a dent in the three point line. The 49ers lost on Sunday, but had a solid enough showing that I don’t think bettors are going to abandon the team in droves quite yet.
Last week, I took the Vikings to cover the 6.5 point spread against the 49ers. This week, I’m inclined to take the 49ers to cover. The Lions will be coming off a short week and having to travel west. Detroit’s defense is nothing like the Vikings defense, which provides a boost as the 49ers look to get back on track. In advance of tonight’s game, injury reports and so forth, I think we see the 49ers win by around six points.
Meanwhile, for tonight, the Lions are a 6.5 point favorite against the New York Jets. I don’t like this game at all, but for necessary gambling purposes, I’m taking the Lions to cover. The Jets will be missing wide receiver Jermaine Kearse, outside linebacker Josh Martin, and safety Marcus Maye. Add in Sam Darnold making his debut on the road in prime time, and the Lions are my pick.