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Detroit Lions among oddsmakers’ top favorites to win next year’s Super Bowl

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Detroit Lions among oddsmakers’ top favorites to win next year’s Super Bowl


ALLEN PARK — The Detroit Lions are fresh off a historic season. They won their first division title in over 30 years and multiple playoff games for the first time in the Super Bowl era while making the conference title game.

Brad Holmes, the team’s general manager, said this season was no cute Cinderella story, and they’ll be back on this stage. Head coach Dan Campbell reportedly told star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson in their exit interview that the Lions are going to the Super Bowl next season.

And oddsmakers seem to agree with that thinking, with the Lions among the six favorites to win next year’s Super Bowl. Caesars Sportsbook has the Lions with the sixth-best odds (+1300) to win it all next year. FanDuel is the highest, as the Lions have the fourth-best odds (+1200). DraftKings has them fifth (+1200).

· Visit MLive’s Betting Home for latest odds & sportsbook promos

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FanDuel has the four teams from this year’s conference title games as the favorites, with the San Francisco 49ers considered the top option. Caesars has the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals joining them in front of the Lions, while DraftKings just has the Bills in front of this year’s reigning NFC North champs.

The hype surrounding the Lions and their future chances certainly makes sense.

Dan Campbell has established himself as one of the NFL’s top head coaches. And no matter what Brad Holmes thinks people are saying, the general manager has hit home run after home run in his first three drafts around these parts.

The Lions have one of the five youngest rosters in the league. They are among the five teams with the fewest snaps to pending free agents. And coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn are back to run the offense and defense, with Jared Goff ready to roll after another borderline elite season under center.

They have young cornerstone stars on both sides of the ball who continue to improve in Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Aidan Hutchinson. The Lions got stud rookie showings from Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs and Brian Branch, with linebacker Jack Campbell getting much better down the stretch, too.

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And the Lions were 30 minutes of competent football from reaching this year’s Super Bowl. They led 24-7 over the 49ers at halftime of the NFC title game, then watched that slip away in a hurry, with bounces off facemasks, uncharacteristic fumbles and failed fourth-down attempts dooming them.

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“Look, it’s only going to get better. OK? We’re only going to get better, all right? I don’t want anybody to think this was a one-shot, Cinderella, magical journey that just happened,” Holmes said after the season ended. “No. It’s real. This was — This is exactly what was supposed to happen. I understand that based on history, from what’s happened in the past, like I understand that you have a season like this, it’s easy to feel like this was kind of a one-shot, magical, lucky, cute story — which I’m tired of hearing. It was none of that. It’s easy to think that.

“But, no. Every move that me and Dan make, it has been made to sustain what we are building. Every single move, and I would say every single move we make and every single move we do not make, is to sustain what we have been building. It’s real. Look, it’s all to normalize what we’re doing. This is to normalize it.”

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Detroit, MI

Detroit ‘Sloppy Chops’ restaurateur\u00a0killed: What to know

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Detroit ‘Sloppy Chops’ restaurateur\u00a0killed: What to know


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Mourning continued and no suspects were in custody a week after the fatal shooting of Detroit restaurateur and nightlife figure Mikey “Mike B” Brown at the end of February.

Brown was the beloved figure behind the “Sloppy” brand of restaurants, and remembrances have been rolling in online since his death.

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Here’s what to know:

Shooting outside cocktail bar

“Mike B” Brown, 51, and two others were shot about 4:30 a.m. Feb. 28 in the area of 15789 Schaefer, police previously said.

The two others were found in front of the location, and Brown was found across the street, police said.

Police have asked those with information on the shooting to come forward.

There were no suspects in custody and no further updates in the case as of Monday, March 9, according to a statement from the Detroit Police Department.

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Updates on the conditions of the two other individuals shot were also not provided.

Who was Mikey ‘Mike B’ Brown?

Brown was a husband, a father of five and a restaurateur.

He opened Sloppy Chops Restaurant, a steakhouse, in 2020 on West McNichols off the Lodge Freeway and later opened a seafood restaurant called Sloppy Crab, which was renamed the Crab Sports Bar, on East Jefferson Avenue near the Renaissance Center. Brown previously had two clubs, as well.

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His downtown dining spot served as an answer to questions on offerings for Black diners in the city’s renaissance. His other “Sloppy” location showcased successful reach beyond downtown and into the city’s neighborhoods. Brown was also a cultural figure in not only the world of dining, but in the nightlife, the Free Press reported.

When are funeral services for Mikey ‘Mike B’ Brown?

A family hour was set for 9 a.m. March 13 and a funeral was set for 10 a.m. March 13, both at Triumph Church –North Campus at 15600 J.L. Hudson Drive in Southfield.

What’s been the fallout since Mike ‘Mike B’ Brown’s death?

Outside of the community hurt, there’s also been calls for a crackdown on establishments that stay open into early morning hours in residential areas, ClickOnDetroit reports.

How to report tips on Mikey ‘Mike B’ Brown’s shooting

Those with information tied to the triple shooting can contact the Detroit Police Department’s homicide unit at 313-596-2260 or submit anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-Speak-Up or DetroitRewards.tv.

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Detroit Lions need backup QB as Kyle Allen to sign with Bills

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Detroit Lions need backup QB as Kyle Allen to sign with Bills


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The Detroit Lions will need to find a new backup quarterback. Kyle Allen, the 30-year-old ninth-year veteran, will reportedly sign with the Buffalo Bills for two years and $4.1 millions, according to ESPN, reuniting him with his former coordinator Joe Brady.

Allen, who came to the Motor City a year ago after inking a one-year deal, appeared in just three games and attempted two passes this past season as starter Jared Goff logged 98.5% of the team’s offensive snaps at quarterback.

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Allen’s greatest contribution came in the preseason, when he forced the organization to give up on its experiment with Hendon Hooker.

In the competition for the No. 2 job, Allen outperformed Hooker and made the former 2023 third-round pick expendable by bringing his stunted development into sharp relief. While Hooker struggled to move the offense when he was in command, Allen thrived in his four auditions, spearheading one productive drive after another for the Lions. He completed 79.5% of his attempts, throwing for 401 yards and five touchdowns with two interceptions. All the while, he exhibited a good understanding of the Lions’ timing-based passing game, giving management the confidence he could – if needed – relieve Goff in a pinch.

“I feel very comfortable with him,” Campbell said last August.

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But as it turned out, the Lions were never forced to call upon Allen. Goff, who hasn’t missed a start since Week 17 of the 2021 season, remained reliably present.

The Lions hope Goff’s iron-man streak will continue.

But if it for some reason ends, Allen is no longer there to replace him.

Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him @RainerSabin on X.



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Detroit water main break snarls travel on East Jefferson Monday morning

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Detroit water main break snarls travel on East Jefferson Monday morning


Vehicles travel through water collected near water main break in Detroit. 

A water main break in Detroit is causing headaches for drivers and sending water into the streets of one of the city’s east side neighborhoods.

The break involves a 42-inch pipeline at East Jefferson and Burns Drive.

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The breakage happened on Sunday, leaving only one lane open for each direction of travel.

Local perspective:

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A day after the breakage, water was still gathering on the road of Jefferson Avenue.

Video captured of the scene Monday morning showed vehicles driving through ponds of water. Construction equipment were on site along with traffic cones.

The backstory:

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This isn’t the only major disruption to water services in the region.

This weekend, a catastrophic breakage at 14 Mile near Drake impacted several Oakland County communities and thousands of residents.

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Novi and Walled Lake were among those hardest hit by the breakage, which included dramatic scenes of waves of water washing down the road, submerging vehicles.

The Source: FOX 2’s Charlie Langton and previous reporting were cited for this story. 

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