Lions vs. Vikings Point Spread: NFL Week 17 Odds, Prediction
The Lions’ rushing game was nonexistent for the second straight week, while Detroit’s defence allowed Pittsburgh to gain a season-high 481 yards in a 29-24 loss to the Steelers.
Meanwhile, the Vikings won their third straight – a sloppy, injury-laden 16-13 triumph over the bottom-feeding New York Giants that saw quarterback JJ McCarthy again leave with an injury.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
On the NFL odds board, the Lions are 5-1 straight up and against the spread in the last six meetings between the teams. However, Minnesota won the first matchup this season, a 27-24 victory in Detroit last month.
The reeling Lions, who just lost two straight games for the first time in over three years, are 1-5 ATS in their last six contests. The Vikings are just 2-4 ATS at home.
Detroit has played to the over in each of its past five games, while Minnesota has played to the under in six of its past seven games. The Lions and Vikings have played to the over in seven of their last eight meetings.
Detroit Lions
Coach Dan Campbell and his team’s championship window may not be closing, but it certainly won’t happen this year. Injuries have played a crucial role, this time on offence. Jared Goff had to operate behind a makeshift interior unit against Pittsburgh with starting centre Graham Glasgow out.
Goff completed 34 of 54 passes for three touchdowns, but backfield duo Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery were reduced to 14 combined yards on the ground. The team had just 70 rushing yards in a 41-34 loss to the Los Angeles Rams the week before.
Minnesota Vikings
It sounds crazy, but the Vikings, with three straight wins, are the hottest team in the NFC North. They’ve been eliminated from the playoffs for a couple of weeks, but Brian Flores’s defence is keeping the team in it long enough for the scrappy offence to find a way.
McCarthy, who was 9 for 14 for 108 yards and an interception, exited the game after injuring his hand. Minnesota has to answer the long-term quarterback question this offseason. McCarthy is well-liked and provides moxie, but he can’t stay on the field.
Max Brosmer, far less celebrated than McCarthy, led the Vikings to victory by going 7 for 9 for 52 yards and no turnovers in the second half against the Giants.
In the win, centre Ryan Kelly suffered his third concussion. It was the sixth of his career.
NFL Prediction: Who Will Win Lions vs. Vikings?
Detroit should win this game by three or four touchdowns. It probably won’t, though, thanks to a mixture of the Vikings’ defence and the Lions’ own inadequacies.
The team will not win a third straight NFC North title, and it most likely won’t make the playoffs for a third consecutive season, which would have been the longest run for the franchise since a three-season stint between 1993-1995.
This was supposed to be another banner year for the Motor City, but the Lions will have to settle for evening the season series with the Vikings. Look for Detroit to win and cover the six-point spread as favourites, 27-17.
DET
MIN