Matt Ludtke/Associated Press

The Detroit Lions are one of the best starters out of the gate in the NFL over recent seasons, winning six of their last seven season openers outright and going 5-2 against the spread.

Detroit gets a chance to get this new NFL season off to another good start when it takes on the New York Jets on Monday night.

NFL point spread: The Lions opened as 6.5-point favorites; the total was 43.5 early in the week, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

NFL betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 24.2-16.0 Lions (NFL picks on every game)

Check out the OddsShark podcast on iTunes or at OddsShark.libsyn.com for more odds information, betting picks and a breakdown of this week’s top sports betting news.

Why the Jets can cover the spread

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New York only finished 5-11 straight-up last season but played 9-6-1 against the spread. The Jets actually started 3-2 last year but lost nine of their last 11 games.

However, New York actually beat three teams that made the playoffs last year—Jacksonville, Buffalo and Kansas City—and six of its losses came by one score or less. Four times last year the Jets lost games but covered the spread.

The big news over the offseason for New York was the drafting of quarterback Sam Darnold out of USC, and he will start this game. In three games during the exhibition season, the rookie hit on 29 of 45 throws for 244 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception.

Why the Lions can cover the spread

The Lions finished 9-7 SU and 8-7-1 ATS last season but missed the playoffs by one game. Detroit started 6-4 last year but a late-season loss to Cincinnati proved too costly to overcome.

The Lions also lost a game to Atlanta by about a foot. If a couple of plays here and there went the other way Detroit may have made the playoffs.

The Lions parted ways with head coach Jim Caldwell over the offseason and replaced him with Matt Patricia, New England's defensive coordinator for the last six seasons. Over those last six seasons, the Patriots defense averaged a ranking of 18th in yardage allowed but seventh in points allowed.

Smart betting pick

Detroit is operating under a new head coach, and that usually involves a learning curve. But at least they kept their offensive coordinator.

They also signed running back LeGarrette Blount to help revive the running game, and Matt Stafford with a running game might be really dangerous.

Meanwhile, the Jets are operating with a 21-year-old rookie quarterback, and he'll definitely experience a learning curve. The smart money goes with the Lions.

NFL betting trends

The total has gone over in three of the Jets' last four games against the Lions.

The Lions are 6-1 SU in their last seven games in Week 1.

The Lions are 5-1 ATS in their last six games on a Monday.

All NFL odds and betting trends according to Bleacher Report's official odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can also download the free odds tracker app.