The Minnesota Vikings (7-9) travel to face off against the Detroit Lions (11-5) on Sunday, January 7th. This game will be played at Ford Field in Ford Field and televised on FOX. Both the Vikings and Lions will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 ET.

Vikings vs Lions

The Vikings Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

The Vikings are coming off a 33-10 loss to the Packers. Not only did the Vikings lose the game, but they also didn’t cover the spread as 1-point favorites.

For the game, quarterback Nick Mullens attempted 22 passes and finished with 13 completions for 113. His passer rating for the game was 87.

The Packers looked to establish the run against the Vikings in week 17, running the ball 39 times for 177. Minnesota’s defense finished the game by allowing a total of 470 yards which included 293 yards vs. the pass.

Going into week 18, Minnesota is 3rd in the NFC-North with an overall record of 7-9. Within the NFC, they find themselves in 10th place.

Minnesota comes into this one having not covered the spread in three straight games at home. Their overall ATS record for the season is 7-6-3. The average over/under line for the Vikings this season is currently 44.5 points. So far, their games have averaged 41 points per game, leading to an over/under record of 6-10.

Vikings Injury Report

• Dean Lowry – Pectoral (Out)
• Kirk Cousins – Achilles (Out)
• Marcus Davenport – Ankle (Out)
• Troy Dye – Wrist (Out)
• James Lynch – Knee (Out)
• D.J. Wonnum – Quadriceps (Out)
• Cam Akers – Achilles (Out)
• T.J. Hockenson – Knee (Out)
• Olisaemeka Udoh – Quad (Out)
• Byron Murphy Jr. – Knee (Questionable)
• Jalen Nailor – Concussion (Questionable)
• Ed Ingram – Shoulder (Questionable)
• Theo Jackson – Toe (Questionable)
• Malik Knowles – Undisclosed (Out)
• Jaquelin Roy – Ankle (Questionable)

The Lions Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

This week, the Lions are hoping to bounce back from a 20-19 loss to the Cowboys. Even with a loss to Dallas, the Lions did manage to cover the spread. They were 5-point underdogs going into the game.

Jared Goff wrapped up the game with 271 passing yards and a passer rating of 67. Overall, he completed 19 of 34 passes.

The Lions’ defense wrapped up the game with three sacks and two interceptions vs. the Cowboys. Additionally, the team’s secondary yielded 323 passing yards, while the rush defense permitted 61 rushing yards.

So far this season, the Lions are 11-5 overall which has the team placed 1st in the NFC-North. This record has come while going 1-2 as the underdog and 10-3 when favored.

The Lions hold a 11-5 record against the spread. As we approach week 18, their scoring margin stands at +3.5 per game. This season, the Lions have an over/under record of 10-6. Their games have seen an average over/under betting line of 47.1 points, and the average combined score per game has been 50.4 points.

Lions Injury Report

• Halapoulivaati Vaitai – Back (Out)
• Scott Daly – Knee (Out)
• Nate Sudfeld – Knee (Out)
• Matt Nelson – Ankle (Out)
• C.J. Gardner-Johnson – Pectoral (Questionable)
• Emmanuel Moseley – Knee (Out)
• Shane Zylstra – Knee (Out)
• Alim McNeill – Knee (Out)
• Mohamed Ibrahim – Hip (Out)
• Brock Wright – Hip (Questionable)
• Jameson Williams – Ankle (Questionable)
• Zonovan Knight – Shoulder (Out)
• James Houston – Ankle (Questionable)

Vikings Offense Breakdown

The Vikings come in with an average of 20.2 points per game which is 19th in the NFL.

As a team, Minnesota is 6th in the NFL in passing yards per game (250). Their passing yards per attempt figure of 6.8 is 7th in the league.

The Vikings are currently 27th in the NFL with 91.5 rushing yards per game. This has come on an average of 23.2 rushing attempts (27th).

Lions Offense Breakdown

With an average of 26.9 points per contest, the Detroit offense currently ranks 4th in the league.

Detroit is currently ranked 3rd in the NFL for passing yards per game, with an average of 255.6. In terms of passing yards per attempt, they are 4th in the league.

So far, the Lions have run the ball an average of 29.8 times per game and currently hold the 4th spot in rushing yards. On a per-attempt basis, they average 4.7 yards which is 5th.

Vikings Team Defense

On defense, the Vikings are currently positioned 21st in tackles for loss and 9th in sacks. Against them, opponents are scoring an average of 20.8 points per game and gaining 330.2 yards per contest.

Lions Team Defense

With a matchup against the Vikings’ offense, the Lions defense has allowed an average of 23.4 points per game so far. They currently are 9th in quarterback hits and are allowing 329.1 yards per contest.

Vikings vs Lions Trends

• Minnesota has played well in their previous 5 road games, going 3-2 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 20 points per game while allowing 17. The team also performed well vs the spread at 3-0-2.
• The Lions are 4-1 ATS in their last home games and 3-2 straight-up.
• Spanning across their last ten games as the betting underdog, the Vikings have gone 4-4-2 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 3-7.
• As the betting favorite, the Lions have an ATS record of 3-2 in their last five games. In these matchups their, straight up record was 3-2.

Vikings vs Lions Prediction

Even though the Lions are favored to pick up the win, I don’t like how their defense finished their last game. I see the Vikings covering the spread as 5.5-point underdogs.

I’m taking the over with the over/under line set at 46.5. So far this season, games involving Detroit have generated an average combined score of 50.4 points, and I believe this game will exceed 46.5.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.