Sharp gamblers bet on both games of ‘Monday Night Football’ doubleheader

The Lions have not lost two straight games in the regular season in three years. Sharp bettors are banking on Detroit to extend that stretch of 50 games without back-to-back losses and cover the spread against the Buccaneers in the opener of a “Monday Night Football” doubleheader.

The Lions are consensus 6-point favorites over Tampa Bay after the line dipped as low as 4½ following Detroit’s 30-17 loss last week at Kansas City.

“We have definitely seen some sharper money on the Detroit side,” Westgate SuperBook vice president of risk Ed Salmons said.

Two-time top-five SuperContest finisher “Dr. Alan” Dumond has hit his first two best bets in the Review-Journal and is looking to make it three in a row on the Lions.

“This game sets up as a classic bounce-back game for the Lions coming off a hard-fought loss at Kansas City,” he said. “On the flip side, the Bucs arrive off a hard-fought home win over the 49ers. For as good as quarterback Baker Mayfield has played, the Bucs are dealing with major injuries with all of their top wide receivers, and this will hurt them in this game as they try to keep up with the high-scoring Lions.

“The Lions are eager to wash the bad taste out of their mouths from last week’s loss vs. the Chiefs as they head into their bye week after this game. We’ll look for the motivated hungry home team to win this prime-time game by at least a touchdown and cover the spread.”

Bucs wide receivers Mike Evans and Emeka Egbuka are questionable for the game.

Pro sports bettor Jeff Whitelaw and SuperBook vice president of marketing Jay Kornegay, who leads the Review-Journal NFL Challenge with a 19-13-1 against the spread record, also bet on Detroit.

The consensus total is 53, with several books at 52½. Tampa Bay is on a 15-6 over run, and the Lions are on an 11-3 over run at home.

“The under on the Bucs-Lions game is probably going to be the one thing that could save Monday at this point,” Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said Sunday night. “We’ll have a lot of carryover liability going to the ‘Monday Night Football’ doubleheader.”

Westgate vice president of race and sports John Murray said his book will need Tampa Bay to cover and, preferably, win outright.

“There are a lot of parlays going to the Lions,” he said.

Sleeping in Seattle

The Seahawks are 3-point home favorites over the Texans in the nightcap, and the total is 41. Seattle is riding a franchise-record nine-game road winning streak, but is 4-8 in its past 12 home games and is on a 2-7-1 spread skid at home.

But sharp bettors are banking on the Seahawks to win and cover.

“There’s definitely sharp money on the Seattle side. We opened 3, and (it was) as high as 3½,” Salmons said. “Seattle been a really strange team. They’ve won nine straight games on the road but don’t win at home anymore. Seattle used to have the biggest home-field advantage in the league.

“Houston’s going to have a hard time scoring points against them, and Seattle’s got a very underrated offense. Houston’s got a really good defense, but I just think Seattle’s got too much for them.”

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.