The Kansas City Chiefs just lost to the Detroit Lions on Thursday Night Football, and the defeat has had some consequences for the Super Bowl LVIII odds. The loss wasn’t all that unpredictable — I had plenty of action on the Lions, and I left the Chiefs out of the top spot in our power rankings — but the Chiefs were still trading as only 4-point favorites by kickoff. Let’s dive into the NFL Super Bowl LVIII odds to identify the line movement after the season opener, with an eye to the Lions’ and Chiefs’ Super Bowl odds.
Looking for more 2023 NFL predictions? OddsShopper’s experts are here to break down the upcoming NFL season — make sure to check out the rest of our NFL articles, including our power rankings and Week 1 picks. Come back during the NFL season for our market-based betting model’s picks and best bets — or try it out for Week 1 now!
NFL Super Bowl LVIII Odds: Chiefs & Lions on the Move
NFL Super Bowl LVIII Odds After Thursday Night Football
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
Lions Trending Up After Upset Win
The Detroit Lions were trading at 21-1 (4.6%) on FanDuel before Thursday Night Football. After the upset win, their odds shortened to 15-1 (6.3%). The Lions didn't look all that impressive on Thursday night, at least on offense -- Jared Goff completed only 62.9% of his passes for 6.9 net yards per attempt (NY/A), which isn't terrible, but he'll have to get more efficient if the Lions truly want to contend. Detroit only went 5-for-15 on third down and 1-for-3 on fourth down. Their lone conversion was a three-yard gain on a fake punt by linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin.
Check out our NFL picks and predictions for Week 1! >>
But despite Goff's so-so play and inefficient play on key downs, the Lions looked solid in the trenches and on defense. Detroit's blockers helped David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs average 4.1 yards per carry. The much-improved defense caused problems for Mahomes and likely would've caused more if the officials had called more false starts and holds on Kansas City's offensive line. Despite the lack of calls, the Lions racked up seven hits on Mahomes. Edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson had seven pressures alone. Safety Brian Branch even recorded a pick-six.
Chiefs Trending Down, Still the Favorite
Despite suffering a brutal Week 1 loss, the Kansas City Chiefs remain the favorite to win this year's Super Bowl. They were trading at 6-1 (14.3%) on FanDuel before kickoff but are now trading at only 7-1 (12.5%). The market is likely cutting Kansas City some slack because neither Travis Kelce nor Chris Jones were available, but that wasn't the only problem. Poor offensive line play and bad showings from the receivers led Patrick Mahomes to complete only 53.8% of his passes for 5.8 NY/A.
While the passing offense should look better once Kelce gets back, the ground game was terrible, and there is little cause for optimism there. The Chiefs had all five of their offensive linemen and all of their running backs available, yet Mahomes was the team's leading rusher because of his scrambling. Isiah Pacheco averaged only 2.9 yards per carry with a longest gain of seven yards. Clyde Edwards-Helaire wasn't much better and averaged 3.7 yards per carry with a longest gain of five yards. The Lions ranked 30th in yards per carry allowed at 5.2 last season.
Today's Top NFL & Sportsbook Promotions
