The Minnesota Vikings will travel to Ford Field on Sunday afternoon to take on the Detroit Lions in an NFC North matchup. The Vikings are second in the division with a 5-6 record and are coming off a 34-26 road loss against the San Francisco 49ers. Kirk Cousins went 20-of-32 for 238 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. The Lions are last in the division with an 0-10-1 record and are riding a two-game losing streak after losing on Thanksgiving at home to the Chicago Bears 16-14. Jared Goff finished 21-of-25 for 171 yards with two touchdowns.
Vikings at Lions Betting Analysis
On the Minnesota Vikings side
Wide receiver Justin Jefferson has been playing extremely well as recording 67 receptions on 98 targets for 1,027 yards (15.3 yards per catch) with six touchdown receptions and three rushing attempts for 10 yards (3.3 yards per carry). In his last game against the 49ers, he finished with four catches on nine targets for 83 yards (20.8 yards per reception).
This season, the Minnesota Vikings have been an average defensive team as they are giving up 25.1 points per game. In their previous game against the San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota allowed 34 points on 423 total yards of offense (215 passing, 208 rushings). San Francisco has been converting decently well as they went 5-of-12 on third-down attempts. The Vikings need to figure out how to limit the rushing game as the 49ers are allowing 5.3 rushing yards per carry.
On the Detroit Lions side
Tight end T.J. Hockenson has been playing well this season as he has 57 catches on 76 targets for 534 yards (9.4 yards per reception) with three touchdowns. In his last game against the Bears, Hockenson finished with three receptions on three targets for 35 yards (11.7 yards per catch) with a receiving touchdown.
This year, the Detroit Lions have been struggling on the defensive side of the field as they are allowing 26.3 points per game. In their previous game against the Chicago Bears, Detroit gave up 16 points on 378 total yards of offense (310 passing, 68 rushings). The Bears struggled to run the football against the Lions as they averaged just 2.3 rushing yards per attempt. Detroit did a pretty good job of forcing the special teams unit on the field as they went 5-of-13 on third-down attempts.
Vikings at Lions Prediction
The top sportsbooks across the United States are currently listing this game as the Detroit Lions being a touchdown underdog at home, and that is a little too much for my liking. The Lions are an impressive 7-4 against the spread this season and remember that both teams are without their leading back as D’Andre Swift and Dalvin Cook are both dealing with shoulder injuries and will miss here. These teams already played earlier this season, and the Vikings won by two measly points at home. The under also hit in 11 of the previous 16 games against one another, so with the Detroit Lions getting a touchdown at home and the under as these offenses are going to struggle a bit in this game.