The Detroit Lions (5-7) play the Minnesota Vikings (10-2) at Ford Field on 11th December in Week 14 of the NFL. The NFC North race is taking shape ahead of this divisional matchup. The Detroit Lions hold second place in the division, having gone 5-7 after 12 regular season matches. Sitting top is the Minnesota Vikings, who are an impressive 10-2 from 12 outings. Now we’re over the halfway point of the regular season, every game counts more than ever. There is simply no more room for error. With this in mind, along with everything else that is at stake, we’re expecting the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings to put out all the stops for a much-needed victory.

Form Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions have proven to be a force to be reckoned with at the Ford Field, winning four out of their last five home games. Their most recent outing ended in victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars, with a final score of 40-14.

There has been no letup from the ever-impressive home offense, having put up 28.4 points on average across the last five matches. This leaves the Detroit Lions with a regular season average of 26.3 points. The defense, on the other hand, has really stepped up against opposing offenses of late. In the past five outings, the hosts have only given up 19.8 points on average. This is better than how they’ve fared over the season, having allowed 27.0 points per game in comparison.

2021 was a year to forget for the Detroit Lions. The hosts failed to reach the playoffs, having finished fourth in the NFC North at 3-13, and are expected to miss the NFL postseason again, having gone 5-7 so far in the current campaign.

Form Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings have grabbed an impressive nine wins from their ten most recent matchups. The away side’s most recent game ended in a 27-22 triumph over the New York Jets.

In terms of points added, it’s fair to say the Minnesota Vikings have a strong and consistent offense. The unit has put 23.2 points on board in the last five matches after all, while averaging 24.1 points for this season. On the other side of the ball, the defense has been relatively average in the league recently. The visitors have given up 27.0 points in the previous five outings, which is more or less on par with the 23.3 points they’ve allowed per game over the course of the regular season.

The Minnesota Vikings are touted as a potential Super Bowl challenger for this season. While it’s still early days, things are going according to plan so far. The visitors hold the second seed in the NFC Conference, leaving them set for a spot in the January playoffs. Until then, the aim will be to strengthen their position by either maintaining or improving their current seeding.

H2H

The Minnesota Vikings bagged a 28-24 win over the Detroit Lions in the previous matchup between these two franchises. The encounter took place at the US Bank Stadium in September 2022. The total has gone over 52.5 points in eight of the last 25 meetings between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings.

One key problem the Minnesota Vikings have struggled to fix in this series is how their defense has often floundered against the Detroit Lions offense, having allowed 29 points on average in the last five matchups alone.

Standings

Betting

Moneyline

Take the Minnesota Vikings (-116) for the outright win on the moneyline. The Detroit Lions have struggled to get results against the away team in recent years, and while the home-field advantage is on their side at the Ford Field, that may not be enough. Instead, we like the look of the Minnesota Vikings continuing their dominance in this series, having won four of their last five matchups against the Detroit Lions. Minnesota Vikings to win @ 1.86 is a good option, for the outright win on the moneyline.

Spread

The Minnesota Vikings (-1.0) open as the -1.0 point road favorites over the Detroit Lions. Given how closely the oddsmakers have placed the spread, we could be in for a real even-stevens encounter here. In the last 25 matchups in this series, the average points margin between these two sides was 7.9 points.

Take a good look at the Detroit Lions to cover the spread on Sunday. They were able to cover the spread in their last five matches. In their previous ten games, the Detroit Lions went 6-4 ATS overall and 5-3 ATS in the last eight games at home.

The past five visits to the Ford Field have gone rather well for the Minnesota Vikings, having bagged four wins by an average winning margin of 9.8 points. The visitors are 2-4 ATS from their seven most recent road trips, as well as 5-4 ATS in their last ten games overall.

Total

The last 25 head-to-head games between and Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings failed to pass the 45 point mark, averaging 42.88 points in total.

Going for the Over (-109) might be worth a shot, with the total currently set at 52.5 points, as the total average points from the previous five meetings between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings was 54 points.

The total has averaged 50.3 points in the Detroit Lions’ ten most recent games, as well as 56.4 points in their last five at home. Interestedly, the total has gone under in five of the Detroit Lions’ past nine matchups against teams from the NFC North.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings have seen an average of 44.8 points in their past five road games and 50.7 points in their last five contests in all. Interestedly, the visitors have seen the total go over in each of their last nine matchups in the NFL.