Lions vs. Saints Betting Line

Home: New Orleans Saints (13-3 overall, 8-0 at home)
Away: Detroit Lions (10-6 overall, 5-3 on the road)
What: NFC Wild Card Game
When: Saturday, January 7, 2012. 8:00 pm ET
TV Channel: NBC
Lions vs. Saints Over/Under Odds

Lions vs. Saints NFC Wild Card Betting Lines

This Detroit Lions vs. New Orleans Saints matchup is the second game on Saturday, and the first of the NFC Wild Card games this weekend. This game has a lot of fans interested, and the large point spread has everyone talking. While most expect the New Orleans Saints to win the game outright, most agree that they won’t cover the spread.

We’ll keep the Lions vs. Saints betting lines in the chart below up to date as they move. To bet on the game, click on any of the odds links below. Each of these sportsbooks welcome US bettors, along with credit cards for making deposits.

New Orleans Saints Betting Lines

At the time this article is being written (Friday, Jan. 6 @ 8:00pm ET), the best New Orleans Saints betting lines are:

Best Saints Point Spread: -10.5 (-110) at BetOnline.com

Best Saints Money Line: -600 at JustBet.cx

I like the New Orleans Saints in this NFC Wild Card game, but not giving up this many points. It should be a high scoring game, but the Lions offense is very good as well. I expect the Lions to keep the game closer than the spread is right now. If the Lions defense can put pressure on Drew Brees and keep him from putting up huge numbers, the Lions should be able to keep it close.

Detroit Lions Betting Lines

At the time of this writing, the best Detroit Lions betting lines are:

Best Lions Point Spread: +11 (-110) at Bovada.lv

Best Lions Money Line: +480 at BetOnline.com

As mentioned above, I like the Detroit Lions to cover the spread in this one. Detroit Lions QB Matt Stafford ranks #5 in the NFL with a 97.2 passer rating. He also ranked #3 in the NFL with 41 TD’s, while passing for 5038 yards on a 63.5% completion rate. They have the 5th overall rated offense and scored an average of 29.6 points per game. The Lions betting lines look like the public views this game as the Saints offense vs the Lions defense, without much consideration for the Lions offense.

This game really comes down to the Lions ability to keep pace with the Saints. Another key to the Lions covering the spread (or winning outright) could come down to turnovers. The Detroit Lions rank #3 in the NFC with a turnover rate of +11. The Saints are -3. Now, the Saints aren’t -3 because they throw a lot of picks or cough the ball up – but their defense doesn’t cause many turnovers. However, the Lions defense does, picking off 21 passes and causing 13 fumbles during the regular season. If the Lions can finish this game +1 in the turnover department, they should cover the spread. If they win this battle by +2, they could win the game.

As I said, the current Lions betting lines don’t seem to reflect some of these aspects of the game. It could be because the public thinks ‘ unstoppable offense’ when they think of the New Orleans Saints. I expect sharps will agree with this, and there should be heavy betting on the Lions spread.

For the Lions money line, +480 at BetOnline is very tempting. Drew Brees and the Saints offense does a good job of holding onto the ball, but the Lions defense will be focused on creating turnovers. Like I said above, if they win this battle by +2, the Lions have a shot to win it outright. This is a gamble, but +480 might be showing us some value.

To view the latest Lions vs. Saints betting lines, visit the Sports Betting Lines homepage.

Other Wild Card Matchups:

– Falcons vs. Giants Betting Line
– Steelers vs. Broncos Betting Line
– Bengals vs. Texans Betting Line
– Bengals vs. Texans Over/Under Odds