The Minnesota Vikings (3-2) head to Ford Field to square off with the Detroit Lions (1-5) this week. The game will air Sunday, Oct 25 at 1:00 p.m. ET on FOX.
The last meeting between the Lions and Vikings came in Week 2 when Minnesota defeated Detroit 26-16. Calvin Johnson had a great performance in that game, grabbing 10 receptions for 83 yards and one TD. Adrian Peterson had a huge day, putting up 192 total yards. He had 134 yards on the ground and 58 yards receiving.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the Lions-Vikings game this week is sitting at 44 points, and Minnesota is a slim two-point favorite.
Sitting at 1-5 for both Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS), the Lions will look to improve heading into Week 7. The Lions often throw the ball. Their 45.8 passing attempts per game is the second-highest average in the league. As for the Detroit defense, a few key matchups could decide this game. The Lions will need to attack the quarterback against the Vikings, who rank 27th in sacks allowed with three per game. Detroit ranks second in the league for average time of possession per home game. If they match their usual 36:32 minutes of offense in this game, the Lions shouldn’t have trouble staying in control.
Shifting to the opposition, the Vikings head into Week 7 with records of 4-1 ATS and 3-2 SU. Odds are in favor of Minnesota continuing to rely on its run game against a defense that allows 120.5 rushing yards per game, ranking 26th in the league. Moving on to the Minnesota defense, there are certain areas where it measures up well against the Lions. Detroit’s run game is particularly bad this year. Its 66.7 rushing yards per game is ranked worst in the league. The Lions commit the most turnovers per game in the league with three. This could benefit the Vikings. The Vikings will look to score against a Detroit defense that allows the most points on average (13.2 points) in the second quarter. 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 9.3 per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Min, ATS Winner – Min, O/U – Over
Notes
Detroit is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games.
Detroit is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of Detroit’s last 22 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit’s last 6 games at home.
Detroit is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games at home.
Detroit is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit’s last 5 games when playing Minnesota.
Detroit is 7-18 SU in its last 25 games when playing Minnesota.
Detroit is 3-6-1 ATS in its last 10 games when playing at home against Minnesota.
Detroit is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota.
Minnesota is 3-0 SU when leading at the start of the fourth quarter this season. Detroit is 1-1 SU when carrying a lead into the fourth quarter.
Since the start of last season, Detroit is 6-2 SU against NFC North opponents, while Minnesota is just 2-5 SU against division foes.
According to season yardage rankings, Minnesota is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its sixth-ranked rushing attack will face the 26th-ranked run defense of Detroit, while its 19th-ranked rush defense will look to contain the last-ranked run game of the Lions.
