Buy Into ‘Hard Knocks’ Hype Train With Three Bets On Detroit Lions

With the NFL season rapidly approaching, now is the best time to grab great value on bets in the futures market.

We've talked at great length about the New England Patriots season outlook on our NESN shows ?The Ultimate Betting Show? and ?Lunch Line.? Here on NESNBets.com, we have countless articles on how to bet the Pats.

Now, let's examine how to bet on the NFC North. We'll focus on the stars of HBO's "Hard Knocks", the Detroit Lions. Here are three ways that I'm going to bet on head coach Dan Campbell and company. Let's start with the win total.

Investing in the Lions win total
Obviously, the exposure from being on "Hard Knocks" has brought more attention to the Lions this season. History suggests that being on the show has no real bearing on wins and losses, however. The teams that have been featured on the show have a combined win total sitting right around .500 which is average at best. I feel the same way about this Lions team.

I don't believe they will make the playoffs; I don't believe they will have some magical season because we've watched them on TV the last month and know their stories. I do believe Detroit will be much better and a .500 season would be an improvement for them. That's why I'm betting the Over 6.5 wins on DraftKings Sportsbook at -125.

In addition to having so much continuity on the roster under Campbell in year two of him at the helm, I also believe the NFC North division is weaker in its totality. The Green Bay Packers have lost weapons for their aging quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the Chicago Bears are rebuilding, and the Minnesota Vikings have a new head coach (Kevin O'Connell) and a quarterback (Kirk Cousins) who comes up small in the biggest moments. Outside of the division, the Lions have a couple of winnable games against the Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New York Jets.

Dan Campbell gets his due
If the Lions can hit the Over on the win total of 6.5 then it's only natural for Campbell to get strong consideration for NFL Coach Of The Year. That's why I'm going to bet it at 17-1 available at most sportsbooks. This is where being on "Hard Knocks" is an advantage. We have heard so many heartfelt pump-up speeches from Campbell, we've watched his passion at every meeting and practice, we have witnessed his players believing in his vision. So, if the Lions can be viable, that marketing machine known as "Hard Knocks" could help propel Campbell to new heights.   

It's (almost) a holiday miracle

My last bet on the Lions is the biggest gamble. Most years, we all sit around the dinner table on Thanksgiving and give thanks to our families while watching the Lions lose. It's a tradition like no other. Detroit is 37-42-2 all-time and have lost 13 of their last 17 on turkey day including last season. This season they play the Super Bowl-favored Buffalo Bills. The losing will continue for the Lions; however, I am willing to grab the points at +8 available on most sportsbooks and bet that this game will be closer than expected. So at least we can all eat our food and watch the Lions lose a close, entertaining game this Thanksgiving holiday. I'm thankful for that.