This article is part of our NFL Picks series.
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Odds Picks and Predictions for Sunday Night Football: Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions
What shapes up as the potential top game of the regular season fittingly wraps up the 2024 campaign at Ford Field on Sunday night. At stake is both the NFC North crown and the conference's No. 1 seed.
Let's dive into the latest odds plus bets and predictions for the prime-time showdown.
Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions Betting Odds
*Best lines at time of writing listed
Moneyline: Vikings +130 (DraftKings Sportsbook)/ Lions -152 (BetRivers Sportsbook)
Point spread: Vikings +3 (DraftKings Sportsbook)/ Lions -2.5 (FanDuel Sportsbook)
Totals: Under 56.5 points (DraftKings Sportsbook)/ Over 56.0 points (Caesars Sportsbook)
With the stakes clearly defined and both teams so closely matched, it's no surprise the spread has enjoyed plenty of stability. The number was at 2.5 in favor of the home team to start the week, and that number has been bet up just slightly to 3 at some sportsbooks over the course of the week.
In contrast, offensive expectations have soared for this game over the last several days, causing plenty of upward movement on the Over. The number opened at 51 points, and has climbed steadily since, rising as high as 57 before dipping slightly to 56.5 entering the weekend.
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Minnesota Vikings @ Detroit Lions Betting Picks
These two Super Bowl contenders met back in Week 7, a game that saw the Lions escape U.S. Bank Stadium with a 31-29 victory. Minnesota jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, but Detroit roared back with 21 unanswered points in the second quarter. The Vikings staged a late rally and outscored the Lions 12-3 in the final 15 minutes but the fell just short.
Each team proved to be allergic to losing over the rest of the season, leading to each sitting on stellar 14-2 marks entering this high-stakes rematch. The Vikings in particular are riding high on a nine-game winning streak during which they've interspersed some dominant victories with plenty of close calls.
I fully expect the latter circumstance to be at play in this game, except I don't see the Vikes coming out with the victory at the end (more below in the game prediction). Nevertheless, what I do envision is another high-scoring first half between two offenses that have clicked all season. The Vikings come into the game impressively averaging the third-most points per first half in road games (15.4), while no team scores more first-half points at home than the Lions. They clock 18.3 points per contest in that split. The Lions' defense has been especially hit hard by injuries as well, which should further the chances hitting on the first half bet listed below.
As for the Lions offense, Jahmyr Gibbs has thrived with the additional work created by the absence of David Montgomery (knee), averaging 20.5 rush attempts per contest in the first two games without D-Mont. Despite the Vikings being a tough team to run on, there's no way Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson doesn't prioritize getting the ball int his top playmaker's hands early and often. Additionally, it's worth noting Gibbs garnered 160 total yards on 19 total touches in the first game against Minnesota with Montgomery available and seeing 12 touches himself.
- Over 27.5 points - 1st half (-105 on DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Jahmyr Gibbs Over 124.5 rushing + receiving yards (-114 on BetRivers Sportsbook)
Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions Prediction
Lions 30, Vikings 28
I'll go with the expectation that this game lives up to every bit of its hype, ultimately resembling the first meeting between these two juggernauts. I'll give the Lions the slight edge for home field, which could actually play an enormous part in this game, and I see them emerging with a razor-thin victory.
