The Minnesota Vikings head to play the Detroit Lions at Ford Field this week. Detroit (9-4) and Minnesota (6-7) enter this week’s game going in opposite directions. Players will take the field Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET and the game will air on FOX.
The last time the Lions and Vikings faced each other was in Week 6, a 17-3 loss for Minnesota. Tahir Whitehead led the way for the Lions defense in that game, totaling six tackles and two interceptions. Jasper Brinkley led the Minnesota defense, registering seven tackles and one sack.
The Lions are a heavy seven-point favorite at home and the Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is 41 points. The Lions enter the game with records of 9-4 Straight Up (SU) and 7-6 Against The Spread (ATS) this season. Over their last five games, the Lions have records of 3-2 both SU and ATS. A big source of success for Minnesota’s opponents this season is the passing game. The Lions may continue to manipulate a fragile Vikings pass defense that allows a 71.0% completion percentage on the road. The Lions defense has been dominant this season, only giving up a league-best 17.2 points per game. The Vikings offense should expect to run into problems running the ball against the Lions and their No. 1-ranked run defense. The Lions only give up 62.9 yards per game on the ground. A major part of the game will be if the Lions can attack Minnesota’s offensive line, which currently is 27th in the league in sacks allowed with 3.1 per game. The Lions hope to continue the trend of torching Minnesota’s defense during the first quarter, when they allow 5.8 points per game. Based on an average time of possession of 33:37 per game that ranks second in the league, look for Detroit to control the pigskin.
Across the field, the Vikings have 6-7 SU and 8-5 ATS records this season. Over their last five games, the Vikings have a SU record of 3-2 and a 4-1 record ATS for those betting with them. When it comes to scoring, the Vikings have figured something out. During the last five games, they averaged 24 PPG, above their 20.2 PPG season average. Switching gears to the Minnesota defense, it has some favorable matchups that it may be able to take advantage of as well. The Detroit offensive line better prepare this week because the Vikings get to opposing quarterbacks with ease. The Vikings defense is currently fourth in the league with an average of 2.9 sacks per game. Penalties can get out of control when the Lions play a home game. The team is among the most penalized in the league at home, averaging 7.9 per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – DET, ATS Winner – DET, O/U – Under
Notes
Minnesota is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Detroit’s last 12 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota’s last 6 games on the road.
Detroit is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games.
Minnesota is 2-12-1 SU in its last 15 games, on the road.
Detroit is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Minnesota’s last 13 games when playing Detroit.
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Detroit’s last 13 games when playing Minnesota.
Minnesota is 19-6 SU in its last 25 games when playing Detroit.
Detroit is 6-19 SU in its last 25 games when playing Minnesota.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota’s last 7 games when playing on the road against Detroit.
Detroit is 5-11-3 ATS in its last 19 games when playing Minnesota.
Minnesota is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games when playing on the road against Detroit.
Detroit is 3-5-1 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against Minnesota.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Detroit’s last 7 games when playing at home against Minnesota.
Detroit is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games when playing at home against Minnesota.
Minnesota is 5-1 SU when leading at the half this season. Detroit is 7-1 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Minnesota is 4-1 SU when leading at the start of the fourth quarter this season. Detroit is 6-1 SU when carrying a lead into the fourth quarter.
Minnesota is 5-2 SU in games where it wins the turnover battle this season, and 0-4 SU in games where it loses the turnover battle.
This season, Detroit is only 1-2 SU in games where it loses the turnover battle.
Since the start of last season, Detroit is 7-2 SU against NFC North opponents, while Minnesota is just 2-7-1 SU against division foes.
The Detroit passing attack is ranked only ninth in the league, while the Minnesota pass defense is ranked sixth. The Vikings’ passing game is ranked just 30th, compared to the 10th-ranked pass defense of the Lions.
The Detroit rushing attack is ranked only 29th in the league, while the Minnesota run defense is ranked 23rd. The Vikings’ rushing game is ranked just 13th, compared to the first-ranked run defense of the Lions.
