Lions vs. Vikings Point Spread: NFL Week 7 Odds, Prediction
Along with Kansas City, the Vikings remain one of just two undefeated teams in the NFL following a 23-17 win against the New York Jets in Week 5 and they should be fresh for Week 7 following a bye. The Lions have won three straight games, capped by a very impressive 47-9 beatdown in Dallas last week.
Minnesota opened as a slim 1.5-point favourite to win on the NFL odds, with the total set at 49.5.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
A lot of early betting action is favouring the Lions, with roughly 73 per cent of bettors taking Detroit to cover as 1.5-point underdogs, while 70 per cent of action is taking the Lions to win outright as of Friday afternoon. The spread has remained steady at -1.5, but nearly 90 per cent of bettors are taking the Over, so the total has climbed a tick to 50.5.
Detroit swept the season series last year, winning 30-24 at home in Week 16 and 30-20 in Minnesota to close out the regular season. Going back a little further, the Lions have won three straight head-to-heads, with the Over hitting in each game.
Both teams have rewarded bettors this season as Detroit is 4-1 against the spread and Minnesota is 5-0 ATS. If you’re trying to find a trend for this game, however, consider this: The Lions have covered in seven straight games against Minnesota, they are 7-1 ATS in their last eight road games and they’ve covered in nine of their last 11 games against NFC opponents.
When it comes to totals betting, a couple trends point towards a higher scoring game. First, the Over has hit in four of the last five games between Detroit and Minnesota. And second, these are two of the highest scoring teams in the league, with the Lions averaging an NFL-high 30.2 points per game, while the Vikings rank fifth with 27.8 ppg.
Detroit Lions
After setting a single-game NFL record by going 18-for-18 against Seattle a few weeks ago, Jared Goff’s overall completion streak of 19 straight (six from the NFL record) ended on his first throw against Dallas. Goff still went on to have a great performance, finishing 18-of-25 for 315 yards and three TDs. It continued a string of performances that has seen Goff average 282 passing yards per game in indoor stadiums this season. For what it’s worth, I’m hammering the Over on Goff’s passing yards total of 245.5 against Minnesota.
Detroit’s offence in general has been outstanding this season. The Lions offensive line ranks third in both pass-block and rushing win rate and as mentioned, this is the highest scoring team in the NFL. Another player to circle is running back David Montgomery, who is tied for the second-most rushing TDs in the league (six). Montgomery, who had two TDs and 80 rushing yards last week, has found the end zone every game this season.
Minnesota Vikings
Be honest, who thought Sam Darnold would lead the Vikings to a perfect record after five games because I certainly didn’t see it coming. Even with an underwhelming performance by Darnold in London, Minnesota still found a way to win, in large part thanks to three Aaron Rodgers interceptions. Darnold finished with 179 passing yards and one interception while failing to throw a TD pass for the first time this season. Prior to the game, Darnold had thrown multiple TD passes every game while averaging 233 passing yards.
Even with Darnold having a career-year and weapons like Justin Jefferson and Aaron Jones, a lot of the credit for the Vikings’ success this season has to go to the defence. Minnesota leads the league in points allowed per play and they rank fourth in points allowed per game (15.2). And despite playing just five games, they lead the NFL in interceptions (11) and they are tied for third in sacks (20).
DET
MIN