Punters looking for a quiet Monday morning at Ford Field were forced to think again as the Detroit Lions scraped past the New Orleans Saints 31-30 in a Week 1 blockbuster. Pre-match markets had the home side marked as clear favourites at 1.32 in the head-to-head, while the visitors sat out as 3.42 outsiders. But as any seasoned follower of the game knows, the form book can sometimes be thrown right out the window once the opening whistle blows.
The Detroit Lions entered this clash with their overall form looking solid, coming off a 19-15 win against the Minnesota Vikings (H). On the flip side, the New Orleans Saints rolled into town looking to turn a corner, having suffered a 10-16 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers (H) in their most recent outing. What followed was a gripping contest that pushed the line set at -6.5 points and total points line of 49.5 to their absolute limits.
How the tips went
Looking back at the pre-match recommendations, punters who took the head-to-head option on the Detroit Lions at 1.32 collected cleanly as the hosts got the job done by the narrowest of margins, sealing a 31-30 victory.
However, the line market proved a tougher nut to crack. The selection of Detroit Lions -6.5 at 1.85 resulted in a loss, as the Saints fought all the way to the final siren and kept the final margin inside the six-and-a-half-point cushion.