While Detroit Lions faithful wait to see what the team will do with its pair of first-round picks in Thursday’s NFL draft … and while they hammer the NFC North division winner odds at Barstool Sportsbook, where the Lions are +140 favorites … and while they anxiously await the next chapter in this team’s resurgence …
Well, don’t look now, but there’s another professional football team doing the state proud.
Oh, yes — the Michigan Panthers of the USFL have jumped out to a 2-0 start and are now the third-favorite team to win the championship, with +500 odds at DraftKings, trailing the defending champ Birmingham Stallions (+200) and the team they just dusted 24-10, the Philadelphia Stars (+425.)
And this week, the Panthers will play their first-ever game at home (well, first-ever in this new iteration of the USFL), when they host the 1-1 New Jersey Generals. Sportsbooks love the Panthers, as they are 4.5-point favorites at FanDuel at -110, and are -200 on the moneyline in a game with a 43.5 over/under.
Tickets for the game can be had for as little as $10 for the end zone view, and Panthers faithful hope to see their team’s 1-2 punch at running back do a few end zone dances.
Corbin and company
Through two weeks, Reggie Corbin leads the league with 160 rushing yards and a pair of scores, and Stevie Scott III has added another 76 yards and a score on the ground.
Quarterback Josh Love has thrown for 389 yards and four touchdowns through the first two games, and wide receiver Joe Walker has paced the receiving corps with 119 yards, though a big breakout may be coming as he has 15 targets on the year already.
The Panthers defensive unit is no slouch either, with Breeland Speaks leading the league with four sacks while the team has given up only 23 points, second to Birmingham’s 12.
It’s been quite the turnaround for the team, as it finished last season 2-8.
So, is this fast start to be believed? Answers are expected Sunday afternoon.
Photo: Jason Miller/Getty Images
