The Minnesota Vikings will take on the Detroit Lions in a battle of NFC North rivals. It's time to continue our NFL odds series and make a Vikings-Lions prediction and pick.
Another week, another crucial game for the Vikings. As a 5-6 team that is currently sitting on the playoff bubble, Minnesota can't really afford to lose more games, especially games that come against winless teams. This is a huge opportunity for the Vikings to even their record at .500 and begin their push for the wild card spot. Meanwhile, the Lions are already at the point of the season where they exclusively look to spoil things for their rivals. This is a great opportunity for that, as another loss would cripple Minnesota's chances of competing for a playoff seed. Detroit actually a solid winless team, so this should be an interesting game.
Here are the odds for the Vikings-Lions game, courtesy of FanDuel.
NFL Odds: Vikings-Lions Odds
Minnesota Vikings: -7.5 (-105)
Detroit Lions: +7.5 (-115)
Over: 46.5 (-115)
Under: 46.5 (-105)
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Why Vikings Could Cover the Spread
The Vikings are clearly the more talented team here, especially on offense. Minnesota's offense, led by quarterback Kirk Cousins, has put together four fantastic offensive showings. They surpassed 30 points against the Baltimore Ravens and the Green Bay Packers while putting 26 points on a tough San Francisco 49ers defense. Cousins is quietly having a fantastic season, posting 3,013 yards, 23 touchdowns, and only three interceptions. Detroit is currently starting rookies Amani Oruwariye and Jerry Jacobs at cornerback, which means that they'll be the ones matching up with receivers Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson. This is a great matchup for this rolling Vikings offense.
While Detroit has had some solid defensive showings, the same can't be said about the offense. Quarterback Jared Goff is yet to win a game without Sean McVay as his head coach, and the rest of the offense isn't doing him too many favors. Detroit hasn't surpassed 20 points in a game since Week 1, and they've scored a combined 36 points in their last four contests. It doesn't help that starting running back D'Andre Swift has already been ruled out for this game. Minnesota isn't a great defensive team, but they should handle this abysmal offense easily.
Why Lions Could Cover the Spread
These Lions may be winless, but you wouldn't know it from watching their level of effort. Head coach Dan Campbell has his guys playing hard every single week, and that consistent effort has translated into a decent record against the spread. The Lions are currently 7-4 ATS, which is one of the best records in the league in that category. Detroit is also 3-2 against the spread when they play on their home field. The Vikings are 1-3 ATS when they enter the game as favorites, so things don't look too bad here.
These two teams have already met once this season, and it almost ended in Detroit's first win of the season. The Vikings managed to score a buzzer-beating field goal to win the game, but the Lions covered easily. Now, Minnesota will play this game on the road with a shorthanded roster. Several starters are likely to miss this game for the Vikings, including running back Dalvin Cook, tackle Christian Darrisaw, and safety Camryn Bynum. Linebackers Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr are also questionable here.
Final Vikings-Lions Prediction & Pick
This is too many points to trust the Vikings with. They've been incredibly inconsistent, especially in games they're favored in. Take the Lions to lose by one possession or less.
Final Vikings-Lions Prediction & Pick: Detroit Lions: +7.5 (-115)
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