Thoughts to end the week: Touching on NFC North odds, edge depth and Hutchinson's remarkable recover
Allen Park — Here are five thoughts to end the week as the Detroit Lions prepare to open the season on the road against the Green Bay Packers.
Are odds reflective of reality?
When the Packers traded for All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons last week, the national perspective on the division shifted. The Detroit vs. Everybody crowd would lead you to believe everyone collectively jumped ship to back the Pack in the race — and some unquestionably did — but the reality is the move only narrowed what figured to be a competitive race in one of the league’s most competitive divisions.
What is true is that the Packers are now the betting favorite with most, if not all, of the major sportsbooks. The margin is so slim that it’s hardly worth mentioning. However, for all the chatter about disrespect from this fanbase, isn’t this exactly where the Lions want to be, back in the underdog role, with free fuel for their fire?
Does Parsons make the Packers immediately better? Absolutely. There are counterarguments, but they’re all rooted in coping. Everyone hates to see a rival land a stud, but this is a truly elite defensive talent being inserted into an already good defense.
Kenny Clark, who departs as part of the return package, is a good player being subtracted from that unit, but let’s not equate a defensive tackle about to turn 30, coming off one of his worst seasons, to a 26-year-old four-time Pro Bowler who has 52.5 sacks and a staggering 330 QB pressures through his first four years.
No one would be making similar arguments if the Lions had traded DJ Reader for Maxx Crosby. Admittedly, not a perfect comparison, but I’m confident you get the point. It's the two first-rounders the Packers gave up that could end up being the true impact, limiting the franchise's ability to add meaningful building blocks to its foundation in '26 and '27.
Still, let’s take a wider-angle look, a position-by-position look, to understand if the addition of Parsons really upsets the power balance in the North.