Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions Prediction, Pick, Odds for NFL Sunday Night Football

• Vikings vs. Lions spread: Lions -3 (-105)
• Vikings vs. Lions over/under: 56 points scored (-110o / -110u)
• Vikings vs. Lions moneyline: Lions -155, Vikings +130

Spread

This spread is tight for a reason. Both of these teams have played incredibly all season so rather than trying to pick a side, I’m going to bet on the highest over/under of the NFL season.

Over/Under

I’m expecting plenty of offense in this contest and am betting on the over up to 57.5 points.

My Pick: Over 56 (-110)

Vikings vs. Lions NFL Sunday Night Football Preview

The final regular season game of the NFL season might just be the best game we’ve had all year. The Vikings and Lions are both 14-2 and tied for first place in the NFC North.

Not only are they the two best teams in the north, they’re tied for the best record in the NFC. That means the winner of this game gets a first-round bye in the playoffs and home-field advantage until the Super Bowl. The loser will start the playoffs on the road as the No. 5 seed.

One of the Vikings two losses came earlier in the season to these Lions, who beat them 31-29 in a nail biter in Minnesota. Detroit hit a 44-yard field goal with 15 seconds left to clinch the win.

Of course, a lot has changed since then. Primarily with the Lions, whose defense has been ravaged by injuries. At one point this season, Detroit was one of the best offensive and defensive teams in the league. Now, the Lions are relying on their offense to carry them in shootouts.

Detroit has allowed 32.5 points per game over its past four, with only the Bears falling short of 30. The Lions have relied on some big plays from their defense at times, but have been generally unable to stop opposing offenses.

That’s probably not going to change against the Vikings, who have an explosive passing attack and a solid run game with Aaron Jones. Detroit’s getting some help back at linebacker, but is still thin in the secondary and pass rush, which sets up well for Minnesota to throw the bill at will.

At the same time, nobody has been able to get the Lions offense off the field this season. Anchored by the league’s best offensive line by almost any metric, the Lions lead the league in scoring at 33.3 points per game.

Dan Campbell is also aware of the Lions defensive shortcomings, which has led to a hyper-aggressive approach in recent weeks. To be clear, Campbell has always been aggressive, but it’s been noticeably turned up lately.

This game has a massive total of 56, but I’m still taking the over. It’s hard to see this game producing less points than their earlier meeting, given the injuries to the Lions defense in the interim.

I’d bet this one up to 57.5, but use our NFL odds page to make sure you’re getting the lowest total possible.

My Pick: Over 56 (-110)

Lions vs Vikings Betting Trends