2020 NFL Futures Odds: Can Lions Pull A 49ers With Surprise Super Bowl Run?

The 2019 NFL season has come and gone, but it is never too early to start wagering on next season.

Super Bowl odds for the 2020 NFL season have already been posted at many sportsbooks around the country and after going 3-12-1 in 2019, the Lions obviously aren’t considered favorites to win the Super Bowl next season. Here are the title odds for Matt Patricia’s Lions at some of the top online sportsbooks.

FanDuel Sportsbook: +6600

DraftKings Sportsbook: +6600

888 Sport: +6600

The Action Network: +7234

Bet365: +8000

 

Other odds: Can Lions pull a 49ers?

Betting on the Lions to win the Super Bowl at this point in the offseason might not be the greatest idea for you financially. However, there is hope for them to still have a surprisingly great season after the 49ers went from 4-12 in 2018 to NFC Champions in 2019. Can the Lions pull a 49ers?

Betting on them to win the NFC Championship wouldn’t be as much of a gamble as DraftKings has their odds to win the NFC at +3000 and FanDuel has them at +3200.

Additionally, with Aaron Rodgers being another year older for the Packers, maybe they Lions have a shot at the NFC North? The odds for the Lions to win their division in 2020 are at +900, according to DraftKings.

If betting on the team is too risky for you, you can always bet on quarterback Matthew Stafford. Do you think Stafford could potentially have a monster year next year after only playing in eight games in 2019? The odds for him to win MVP are at +4400, according to FanDuel. Not great, but a smaller risk than betting on his team to win the Super Bowl.

Defensive help?

The Lions were not good defensively last year as they were 26th in the NFL in points allowed per game, allowing 26.4 per contest. Where they really need help is in the secondary. Yes, they have a Pro Bowl cornerback in Darius Slay, but the Lions were dead-last in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game in 2019, allowing the opposing team’s quarterback to throw for 284.4 yards per game.

Well, they likely will get Slay some help in the NFL Draft. ESPN’s Todd McShay projects the Lions to select Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft to hopefully help that weak secondary. Okudah had three interceptions for the Buckeyes in 2019 and forced one fumble. Additionally, he did not allow one opposing receiver to go over 50-plus yards receiving in any of his 27 games the last two seasons, according to Pro Football Focus.

If they select him, Okudah could eventually be a defensive star for the Lions and he would help improve their secondary immediately.

Looking for the next franchise QB?

Stafford just turned 32-years-old and only played in eight games last season, so could the Lions be looking to move on via the NFL Draft? It’s possible as FanDuel even wrote an article highlighting three places the Lions could trade Stafford if they do draft a young QB.

The future of the Lions’ quarterback situation is unclear right now, but questions will hopefully be answered after the draft.

 

Star-studded pass-catchers

Even with Stafford out for half of the season last year, the Lions’ receiving core put up some great numbers. Kenny Golladay went on to catch 65 passes for 1,190 yards and 11 touchdowns while Marvin Jones caught 62 passes for 779 yards and nine touchdowns. Danny Amendola even had a pretty good year too, catching 62 passes for 678 yards.

While Amendola is a free agent, Jones and Golladay will be back and with a healthy Stafford – or even a talented young quarterback – they could even exceed last year’s numbers.

It should be a busy offseason for the Lions over the next few months, but hopefully they give fans a reason to feel more confident in betting on them going into the 2020 season.