0-17 has already become a huge topic in Detroit—a reality I both absolutely loathe and am currently only reinforcing by writing this. Safety Tracy Walker mentioned it in his postgame press conference, without even being prompted by a question.
According to Vegas, the odds aren’t all that long that it could happen, either .The current odds at DraftKings Sportsbookfor the Lions to finish with the first 0-17 season in NFL history gives a payout of +450—meaning a $100 bet would net a $450 profit if correct. To put it simpler, the odds imply a probability of 4.5-to-1 or18.2 percent chance of it happening.
Those are humbling numbers, as the season isn’t even halfway over yet. Looking ahead, there are certainly winnable games on the table. Of the nine remaining games, only three have a record above .500 currently (Steelers, Cardinals ,Packers).
The Lions have obviously come extremely close—with a couple missed extra-long field goals—of picking up a couple of wins already this season. But with the way in which they lost two of their past three games—getting completely blown out by both the Bengals and Eagles—it’s understandable why the conversation has turned the way it has.
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