Eagles vs. Lions Week 8 Picks: Detroit’s Best Chance to Avoid 0-17?

Sportsbook Review

Last Updated: October 27, 2021 11:18 AM EDT • 3 min 49 sec read. Twitter link Google News Link

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 24: Jared Goff #16 of the Detroit Lions reacts at the line of scrimmage during the first half in the game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on October 24, 2021 in Inglewood, California. Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Sean M. Haffey / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

It’s more likely than not the Detroit Lions don’t finish 0-17, but Sunday’s home game against the Philadelphia Eagles could be their best chance of a victory. We look at those chances with our Eagles vs Lions picks.

No team in NFL history has finished 0-17 … but of course, there has never been a 17-game season previously. The Lions are one of two clubs to have finished 0-16, doing so in 2008. DraftKings Sportsbook has some interesting Lions odds for this week.

They are +850 to finish 0-17 and -2000 to win at least one game. Which team will Detroit beat for its first win? Philadelphia is the +155 favorite by the NFL specials odds. It seems likely that the Lions – who go on their bye in Week 9 – would enter a Thanksgiving matchup against the Bears at 0-10 without a victory on Sunday, as Detroit’s two games out of the bye are on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns.

Here are my picks and predictions for the NFL Week 8 matchup between the Eagles and Lions (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Eagles vs. Lions Game Info

Date/Time: Sunday, October 31, 1 p.m. ETTV: FOXLocation: Ford Field, Detroit, MI

Eagles vs. Lions Odds Analysis

Detroit is taking a slight majority lean on the spread, which opened at Philadelphia -3 and is now -3.5. There’s essentially no chance it gets to -4 and may well drop back to -3. Hoping for 2.5 is a pipe dream for Philly backers. The Eagles are 3-7 against the spread in their last 10 games as at least 3-point road favorites. The Lions are 5-5 ATS in their last 10 games as home underdogs of at least 3 points.

Ford Field is of course a dome so there are no weather worries for Sunday. The total opened at 48.5 and has dropped to 48. There’s a fair consensus on the Under, so this could get to 47.5 or 47 by kickoff. Philadelphia is 3-4 against the Over/Under this season and Detroit is 2-5.

Eagles vs. Lions Betting Picks

Lions +3.5 (-110) (???)Under 48 (-110) (???)

Eagles vs. Lions Betting Predictions

Lions +3.5 (-110)

The home team is 5-2 ATS in the past seven head-to-head meetings. Detroit won the previous three meetings straight up, including the most recent one 27-24 in Philadelphia in 2019. QBs Matthew Stafford and Carson Wentz were the QBs of the Lions and Eagles, respectively, that day and both were traded away in the offseason.

Sure, the Lions are winless but other than a 34-11 home loss to Cincinnati in Week 6, they have been competitive in every game. First-year head coach Dan Campbell has proven he will do whatever it takes to try to win. In last week’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Campbell tried an onside kick and two fake punts, and they all worked. Detroit was a 17-point underdog; it led 10-0 early and 19-17 entering the fourth quarter before the Rams’ superior talent won out in a 28-19 victory.

If Campbell is willing to dig that deep into his bag of tricks against a legitimate Super Bowl contender, what will he do Sunday against a more comparable opponent? The players also have to know this is one of only a few chances to get a W in 2021.

There apparently are a lot of Eagles players griping about first-year head coach Nick Sirianni. The offense at this point is basically QB Jalen Hurts running and throwing incompletions. He is putting up huge fantasy football numbers with 1,716 yards passing and 10 touchdowns along with 361 yards and five TDs on the ground. He has recorded either a passing TD or rushing TD in 12 consecutive games, dating back to last season, but Hurts is simply too inaccurate and turnover-prone to be a top NFL starting QB.

Philadelphia’s running game outside of Hurts is essentially non-existent and could be even more so Sunday with No. 1 RB Miles Sanders (ankle) expected to miss the Week 8 matchup. The Eagles are 0-4 ATS in their last four games as road favorites. This may be the last time they are one in 2021.

Under 48 (-110)

How close is Campbell to pulling starting QB Jared Goff? He couldn’t really do it last week in Los Angeles against Goff’s former team, but the coach had put the former No. 1 overall pick on notice entering Week 7 and Goff was not very good again. He completed just 61.1 percent of his passes for one TD and two picks – a third straight game with at least one interception. Goff is the 27th-rated QB with an 84.7 passer rating and Detroit will likely be taking a quarterback early in the 2022 draft.

It’s hard to blame it all on Goff, as his offensive line has been ravaged by injuries and his receiving group is the NFL’s worst with both Tyrell Williams and Quintez Cephus on injured reserve. In fact, his two best pass-catchers are RB D’Andre Swift and TE T.J. Hockenson.

Philadelphia’s offensive line is nearly as much of a mess as Detroit’s with both starting guards Isaac Seumalo and Brandon Brooks, on injured reserve. RT Lane Johnson missed two games for personal reasons and is questionable for Week 8 after leaving last week’s loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Keep in mind the Eagles traded backup QB Joe Flacco to the New York Jets this week, so if Hurts gets injured (or pulled), former Jacksonville Jaguar QB Gardner Minshew would play for the first time with Philadelphia.

The Eagles are 21st in total offense, while the Lions are 24th. Only four teams average fewer than Detroit’s 18.3 points per game. The Under is 5-2 in Philadelphia’s last seven games against teams with a losing record and 5-0 in Detroit’s past five overall.