(Host): It’s been a long time since the Detroit Lions were favored by 12 or more points in a game.
(audience shouts): How long has it been?
How about 28 years?! But that could very well change this week.
As of Wednesday morning, the Lions are favored by 11.5 points at BetMGM over the visiting Tennessee Titans in Week 8. But that number could very well rise now that the Titans have made a couple of roster subtractions, dealing away starting WR DeAndre Hopkins and top LB Ernest Jones since the day began. That white flag might push the line up to 12 points, and that would snap a very long streak for Detroit.
The last time the Lions were favored by at least 12 points in a game was on September 29, 1996, in a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As Evan Abrams noted in his social media post, that was 459 games ago for Detroit.
The Lions won that game, 27-0, with Bennie Blades returning an interception 98 yards for Detroit’s first score. Scott Mitchell tossed two TDs, one to Herman Moore and one to Johnny Morton, as the Wayne Fontes Lions improved to 3-2 and dropped Tony Dungy’s first Buccaneers team to 0-5.
Plot twist: those Lions would finish just 5-11, losing eight of their nine games after the bye week. Meanwhile, that Buccaneers team rallied to finish 6-10. There’s your random bit of depressing Lions history for the day…