It has been six years since the Detroit Lions last tasted the postseason. But head coach Dan Campbell has the franchise on the right track to do just that sooner rather than later.
The Lions gave optimism to their fans as well as Michigan sports betting backers going into 2023, the third full NFL season in which legal, regulated wagering has been available in the Great Lakes State.
That’s because Detroit posted a six-win improvement from Campbell’s first season with the team to his second, going from 3-13 in 2021 to 9-8 – within an eyelash of the playoffs – a year ago.
And eight games into the 2023 season that optimism is still rising. After Monday's 26-14 victory over the Raiders, Detroit is 6-2, a full two games ahead of the Minnesota Vikings for first place in the NFC North. What's more, Detroit covered in all six of those victories; the Lions were a 7-point favorite against the Raiders.
Now, Campbell’s task is to lead the Lions to their first division title since 1993, when the franchise went 10-6 on the back of Barry Sanders before losing in the NFC Wild Card round. How long ago was 1993? That year, Detroit was first in the NFC Central, a division that has not existed since realignment in 2002.
To get a sense of where Campbell ranks among his head coaching peers against the spread, BetMichigan.com – your top source for the best Michigan sports betting promos – used data from TeamRankings.com to gather every active NFL head coach’s record ATS, dating back to 2003 when data was made available. We did not include records from interim stints.
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NFL Coaches Vs. Spread Entering 2023
Lions’ Campbell Now Has NFL’s Best ATS
During his first two years with the franchise, Campbell posted the second-best record ATS, with a 67.7% cover percentage – a stat worth remembering for customers at Michigan sportsbook apps. Overall, Campbell ranked behind Brian Daboll of the New York Giants, who covered the spread in 73.7% of the team’s games during his first year with the team in 2022-23.
What's more, after the Lions went 6-2 to start the 2023 season, Campbell has improved to 29-13 ATS, for a 69.0% winning percentage. In fact, Daboll's Giants are 2-5-1 against the spread this season, lowering his winning percentage ATS to 16-10-1, a winning percentage of 61.1%, meaning Campbell now stands alone at the top.
Some of the names that Campbell ranked ahead of entering the 2023 season, and still is ahead of, include Zac Taylor of the Cincinnati Bengals, Matt LaFleur of the Green Bay Packers, Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots and Dallas Cowboys’ head coach Mike McCarthy.
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