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Eric WoodyardESPN
Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell anticipates an “electric” atmosphere inside Ford Field on Sunday when they meet their NFC North Division rivals, the Minnesota Vikings, for the second time this season. However, despite being 5-7 this season, the host Lions are favored over the 10-2 Vikings, who are looking to clinch the division title with a victory.
This would be the 10th time in the Super Bowl era that a team with an .800 winning percentage is an underdog to a team with a losing record in December or January, per ESPN Stats & Information research.
Initially, Campbell didn’t know how to respond to the odds before admitting that it did catch him by surprise.
“I don’t know because there again, and I’m being as honest as I can, I don’t know — I really don’t even know how to respond to that,” Campbell said. “I’m shocked by that, but there again, all those things don’t matter, point spread, who’s favored, it doesn’t. This team finds ways to win, and if we’re not ready to go, and we don’t handle our business.
“It’s going to take every one of us, coaches and players, to win this game,” he added. “That’s what I do know, because they’ve got plenty over there, and there again, a team that finds ways to win, those are dangerous teams.”
According to ESPN Stats & Information research, the previous nine teams with an .800 winning percentage went 0-9 straight up and against the spread. Eight of the previous nine instances were in Week 16 or 17 games when it was known teams would rest starters.
Detroit has covered five consecutive games, the longest active cover streak in the NFL. Detroit hasn’t covered in six straight games within a single season since Weeks 4-10 of the 2010 season.
The Lions have won three of their past four games and are coming off a 40-14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. They’re looking to make a potential playoff push, which hasn’t happened for the franchise since 2016.
Campbell advised the team not to follow the betting odds because “we can’t bet.” He acknowledged that it’s “illegal” and “I’d get banned for life from this league,” so it has no bearing on their preparation.
“We were trash when we were 1-6, so it’s irrelevant. And if we don’t win this game, then it’s back to, ‘Oh, we’re not what we were. It’s a fluke, and blah blah blah,'” Campbell said. “So, it’s all about the next game, right in front of us. That’s all we can worry about, and it’s about playing good football and knowing that it’s going to come down to the wire.
“It’s going to come down to the last two minutes of this game, and we’ve got to get ourselves in that position in the last minute of the game to have an opportunity to win, and then when we have our opportunity, we’ve got to find a way to finish it out, because that’s what they’ve done well.”
The Vikings beat the Lions 28-24 in Minneapolis on Sept. 25.
Source: www.espn.com