File image from the Associated Press.
(DETROIT FREE PRESS) - The Detroit Lions have worse odds than the Chicago Bears of winning Super Bowl XLVII, according to football futures from online sportsbook Bovada.
The Lions are at 22-to-1, 13th among the 32 NFL teams. The Bears are at 16-1, tied for sixth-best. The Packers have the best odds at 6-1, followed by the Patriots at 13-2 and the 49ers at 10-1.
The Lions also have 11-1 odds to win the NFC Championship, while the Bears are at 17-2. The Packers are 7-2 favorites.
The Bears being higher than the Lions hasn't been anything new among NFL experts. ESPN's NFC North blogger, Kevin Seifert, argued that the Bears probably would've finished higher than the Lions last season had quarterback Jay Cutler not gone down with an injury.
The Lions and Bears had identical 7-3 records through Week 11, having already split their two regular-season meetings. But the Bears lost five straight games without Cutler and stumbled to an 8-8 record. The Lions went 3-3 and clinched a wild card berth at 10-6.
The Bears also added pieces this past off-season, the biggest being wide receiver Brandon Marshall (1,214 yards, six touchdowns with Dolphins in 2011).
The Lions begin their preseason at 7:30 p.m. Friday against the Browns at Ford Field.
Detroit Free Press