Lions @ Cowboys
Lions
CowboysArchived game: closing numbers from Action Network's consensus at kickoff. Live odds, picks and the confluence table only run on games still on the slate.
Matchup summary
Final: Cowboys beat the Lions 20-19 at home. The market closed with Lions at +185 on the moneyline and the total at 53.5. This was an NFL 2023 week 17 game. The closing betting splits (tickets vs money), the earliest tracked line and the movement into kickoff are below.
More on this matchup: Lions betting trends · Cowboys betting trends · all NFL games
Lions vs Cowboys betting splits
Where was the money on Lions vs Cowboys?
| Market | Side | Tickets | Money | Closing line / odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spread | Lions | 32% | 25% | +4.5 (-110) |
| Cowboys | 68% | 75% | -4.5 (-110) | |
| Total | Over | 74% | 84% | O 53.5 (-110) |
| Under | 26% | 16% | U 53.5 (-110) | |
| Moneyline | Lions | 34% | 24% | +185 |
| Cowboys | 66% | 76% | -225 |
68% of spread tickets and 75% of spread money were on the Cowboys, so the average Cowboys bet was larger than the average Lions bet.
74% of total tickets and 84% of total money were on the over, so the average over bet was larger than the average under bet.
66% of moneyline tickets and 76% of moneyline money were on the Cowboys, so the average Cowboys bet was larger than the average Lions bet.
Line movement
What was the closing line for Lions vs Cowboys?
| Market | Earliest tracked | Closing | Move |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spread (Cowboys) | -5.5 | -4.5 | +1 |
| Total | 52 | 53.5 | +1.5 |
The Cowboys were -5.5 24 hours before kickoff and closed -4.5, a 1-point move toward the Lions.
The total was 52 24 hours before kickoff and closed 53.5, a 1.5-point move toward the over.
The earliest tracked line is the oldest consensus snapshot Locksmith holds for this game, not the market opener.
Why the line moved
Why did the Lions vs Cowboys line move?
The spread moved 1 point toward the Lions (Cowboys -5.5 to Cowboys -4.5) even though 75% of the spread money sits on the Cowboys; the Lions hold 25% of the money and 32% of the tickets, so the line moved away from the money side. The total moved 1.5 points toward the over (52 to 53.5), the side holding 84% of the total money and 74% of the tickets, so the line and the money went the same way. Splits describe where the money sits, not what will happen.
Across 822 NFL games (2023 week 5 through 2026 week 2, Action Network closing splits), the side with a larger money share than ticket share covered the spread 50.0% of the time (384-384-13) and hit the total 50.8% (396-383-6); break-even at -110 is 52.4%. Splits describe where the money sits, not what will happen.