What are the odds the Detroit Lions go 0-17 in 2021?

The Week 8 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 44-6 marks the eighth straight defeat for the Detroit Lions and twelfth overall dating back to Week 14 of 2020. The Detroit Lions remain the only winless team in the NFL and are just about halfway through ending 0-17 in the NFL for the first time. After suffering several blowout losses in the first half of the season, what are the odds the Detroit Lions will indeed end 2021 with zero wins?

According to Yahoo! Sports, the Detroit Lions were placed at +700 to go winless in 2021 after their seventh loss. After Sunday's loss to the Eagles, those odds will likely be up to around +600. Their odds have gotten better by around 100 to 150 points after each recent loss. If you need some extra mustard to have faith in betting on a 0-17 record for the Detroit Lions, just recall that they were the league's first 0-16 team back in 2008. They were also 0-11 in 1942, meaning 2021 would be their third winless season in franchise history.

Some may think it's easy for a team that is already 0-8 to finish 0-17, but it's harder than you expect, depending on your schedule and list of injuries.

As of October 31st, the Detroit Lions have the seventh-toughest remaining schedule for 2021. They entered Week 1 with the sixth-toughest schedule. These rankings are based on win-loss records for remaining opponents, which doesn't always give us a clear picture. Here are Detroit's remaining games in 2021: Week 9 bye week, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks, and Green Bay Packers. Here's a realistic look at the outcomes of their remaining games:

• Pittsburgh Steelers - Loss - The Steelers' offense is slowly getting better each week despite injuries.
• Cleveland Browns - Loss - Even though Baker Mayfield is banged up, their defense and run game will keep them in the contest.
• Chicago Bears - Loss - The Lions could come close, but Chicago's defense will give them the edge.
• Minnesota Vikings - Loss - Minnesota are actually better than most people give them credit for.
• Denver Broncos - Win - That's right! Denver's defense is not as good as anticipated and the offense is very shaky. The Detroit Lions could ride D'Andre Swift to their first win.
• Arizona Cardinals - Loss - No chance the Lions come within ten points of a win.
• Atlanta Falcons - Loss - Matt Ryan and the offense should be pieced back together by the time they face the Lions.
• Seattle Seahawks - Loss - Russell Wilson will be back and on a warpath heading into the playoffs
• Green Bay Packers - Win - Green Bay could sit their starters entering the playoffs to avoid major injuries and the Lions could snag a last-minute win. If the starters play, the Lions lose.

The Detroit Lions are still favored to finish with the worst record and the number one draft pick, but they will see a victory once or twice before then. It's hard to lose every game in the NFL when you have a decent quarterback in Jared Goff and a star running back in D'Andre Swift. If the Detroit Lions end up trading for a wide receiver before Tuesday, they could end up with two or three wins before the end of the season.

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