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Lions at Chiefs: Odds, trends and more

By Matt Verderame

Oct 18, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) before the game against the Chicago Bears at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 18, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) before the game against the Chicago Bears at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions are playing the third and final regular-season game in London for the 2015 National Football League season on Sunday morning at Wembley Stadium. The Chiefs, who are technically the home team in this affair, are favored by 3.5 points with an over/under of 45, according to OddsShark.

Kansas City comes into the game at 2-5 and without star running back Jamaal Charles. Charles tore his ACL three weeks ago and is done for the season, replaced by second-year man Charcandrick West. West is a shifty back with decent speed, and amassed his first 100-yard rushing game last Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

While things have been going horribly wrong for the Chiefs, it has been even worse for the Lions. Detroit won 11 games last season under first-year head coach Jim Caldwell, but 2015 has been a different story altogether. Without defensive tackles Nadamukong Suh and Nick Fairley – both whom left in free agency – the Lions have been much weaker up the middle. The hip injury to star linebacker DeAndre Levy has not help matters, limiting him to one game this season (Levy will also miss Sunday’s game).

Detroit is 1-6 and tied for the worst record in the league alongside the Baltimore Ravens, another team many believed was primed for a Super Bowl run. Earlier this week, the Lions moved on from offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi in an effort to make their stagnant offense more potent, replacing him with Jim Bob Cooter.

Frankly, this is a tough game to bet. The Lions are 1-6 in their last seven games against the spread, while the Chiefs are 1-5 in their previous six ATS.

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