by Chuck Sommers
Tuesday, Dec 06, 2022
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Venue: Ford Field, Detroit, MI
Where to watch: FOX
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Lions -2; Lions -130, Vikings +110; O/U 53
FanDuel: Lions -2.5; Lions -126, Vikings +108; O/U 53.5
BetMGM: Lions -2.5; Lions -133, Vikings +115; O/U 53
Caesars: Lions -2.5; Lions -135, Vikings +115; O/U 53.5
Season record
Vikings: 10-2 (1st place, NFC North)
Lions: 5-7 (2nd place, NFC North)
Week 14 is here in the NFL season and things are starting to heat up. Teams you didn’t expect to be in the hunt this late in the season are surely cashing in now, and you’re ready to enjoy the ride, I’m sure. What will this week hold with division races tightening up and playoff races hitting the first quarter mark? One thing you can surely count on is our champion handicappers making things happen. Brian Bitler has been killing it the last 30 days with a 16-8-0 mark. Matt Fargo has been just as efficient over the last month with a 17-10-1 run in the NFL. Both went 4-2-0 this past weekend in what was an entertaining slate of football. You’re going to want to be tuned in to bigal.com to find out what our champion handicappers are doing to get you across the finish line!
Vikings - Lions preview, analysis and prediction
Last week
Vikings: won 27-22 vs. Jets
Lions: won 40-14 vs. Jaguars
Vikings analysis
It wouldn’t be a Minnesota Vikings game without winning by just one score, but of course that’s how the Vikings improved to 10-2 last week with a 27-22 win over the New York Jets. Minnesota jumped out to a 20-6 halftime lead but nearly squandered that because Mike White is turning into the greatest quarterback of all time. White made Kirk Cousins look like he was playing in Pop Warner, throwing the ball 57 times for 369 yards and two picks, while Cousins was held to 173 yards and a touchdown against a tough New York defense. Nevertheless, the Vikings find themselves in a good spot at 10-2. Clearly that’s not looking sustainable going into the playoffs, especially if they have to play the Dallas Cowboys again, but I guess enjoy the ride while you can, Minnesota.
"It feels like any other play," said Vikings DB Camryn Bynum after he made the game-saving interception with 10 seconds to god. "I know pressure's on us. We're in the red zone, fourth down, one play to lose the game or win the game, but to us that's normal football."
Pressure is definitely on the Vikings to actually do something worthwhile. There hasn’t been one win this year from the Vikings where I can say they look like a championship contender. I feel that same way about the Eagles, but we can’t be getting Philly fans up in my mentions. There is no true contender in the NFC right now because of the lack of competition. This is only going to continue, and even if the Vikings win this week, it likely won’t matter.
Lions analysis
The Detroit Lions are not going away quietly. Four wins in their last five games has Detroit sitting at 5-7 and I don’t want to say anything too drastic, but a win against the Vikings on Sunday would throw everything out of whack. Detroit is coming off a 40-14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in what was one of Jared Goff’s best games as the Lions’ quarterback. He completed 31 of 41 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns, both to Amon-Ra St. Brown, and he was only sacked twice. Not to mention the Detroit defense stifled Trevor Lawrence all day long. The Lions have held three of their last five opponents to under 20 points and that is something I didn’t think I’d see. This Detroit defense held Jacksonville to just 266 total yards.
"This was a big win for us because I feel like this is the game that can catapult us through December," coach Dan Campbell said.
Not sure if this will launch the Lions into playoff contention, but there’s definitely a possibility if they can run the table. Their final five games are Minnesota at home, at the Jets, at Carolina, home against Chicago, and then at Green Bay. Those are five winnable games for this group to get to 10-7. Anything after that is gravy. But if this Lions team actually is capable of turning around the misfortune, maybe it can happen. I just don’t see it.
Prediction
The Vikings tend to find a way all the time so until they can actually choke one away against a winnable team, don’t be deterred by what Minnesota can do in crunch time. Vikings by 7
Betting trends
Lions are 18-41 ATS after winning 3 of 4 since 1992.
Lions are 22-41 after covering in 4 or 5 of their last six since 1992.
Lions are 13-4 ATS in dome games the last two seasons.
Over is 29-16 when the Vikings play the last 3 seasons.
Statistical leaders
Vikings:
Passing: Kirk Cousins – 2,933 yards, 18 TD, 9 INT
Rushing: Dalvin Cook – 927 yards, 7 TD
Receiving: Justin Jefferson – 1,277 yards, 6 TD
Defense: Harrison Smith – 5 INT
Lions:
Passing: Jared Goff – 3,022 yards, 19 TD, 7 INT
Rushing: Jamaal Williams – 769 yards, 6 TD
Receiving: Amon-Ra St. Brown – 830 yards, 6 TD
Defense: Aidan Hutchinson – 6 sacks
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Minnesota Vikings - Detroit Lions prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NFL projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
