It's easy to see why a Week 18 showdown between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings was flexed to Sunday Night Football.
This is the biggest game of the season-closing schedule by far, as the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs all comes down to this contest.
Both teams come in with impressive 14-2 records, but one will be reduced to a Wild Card spot by the end of Sunday.
Let's break down the Lions vs. Vikings matchup and discuss the best bets to make.
A -3.0 spread in the Lions’ favor for a game being played in Detroit suggests that these teams are viewed to be pretty much exactly equal. But is that really the case? Well, it’s probably easier to argue that Detroit is superior.
Head coach Dan Campbell’s crew is an absolute machine – especially on offense. The Lions have scored at least 34 points in four straight games, including 40 or more on two occasions during this stretch.
Jared Goff is absolutely on fire, having passed for 1,133 yards with 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions over the last three outings.
Goff has been picked off only once in the past seven contests since his five-interception performance back in Week 10 against the Houston Texans. He most recently torched the San Francisco 49ers for 303 yards and three touchdowns on Monday Night Football in Week 17.
These two division rivals first faced each other in Week 7, when the Lions went on the road and won 31-29. It required a last-minute field goal, but Detroit mostly dominated the game after going down 10-0 midway through the first quarter.
The visitors outscored Minnesota 31-19 the rest of the way and it would have been even more convincing if not for a late fumble return for a touchdown by the home team.
A short week may not be ideal for the Lions, but it’s not something they can’t overcome – and it should be made easier by the fact that they are playing at home in the friendly confines of Ford Field. Look for Detroit to prevail by at least a field goal.
The Over correlates nicely with Lions -3.0, as they will have a better chance to cover if this game turns into a high-scoring shootout – the kind of game that obviously favors their particular style of play.
In basically three full games without David Montgomery, Detroit has racked up 42, 34 and 40 points. Jahmyr Gibbs is clearly capable of picking up the slack as the lone playmaker in the backfield.
On the other side of the ball, Minnesota has scored at least 27 points in four consecutive contests. Sam Darnold has been better than anyone could have expected this year and his rapport with both Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison is off the charts right now.
Now, they are going up against a vulnerable Detroit defense that got cooked by Brock Purdy for three quarters on Monday night.
All things considered, the Over looks like the best way to play this Sunday Night Football matchup.
Jefferson enjoyed plenty of success in the first head-to-head matchup against Detroit this season, going off for seven receptions on eight targets with 81 yards and a touchdown.
There is no reason why the star receiver won’t be up to similar tricks in the rematch, as he will be facing a Lions defense that is 31st in the NFL against the pass and 24th in yards per pass attempt allowed.
It’s also worth noting that Jefferson is in the midst of a scoring binge, having found the endzone five times in the last four games.
Read more betting picks and predictions for the NFL on site.
Minnesota Vikings | -130 ML |
Detroit Lions | +155 ML |
Spread | DET Lions -3.0 |
Total Points | O/U 56.0 |
Aaron Jones (MIN) | +138 |
Cam Akers (MIN) | +120 |
Justin Jefferson (MIN) | +120 |
Jahmyr Gibbs (DET) | +334 |
Amon-Ra St. Brown (DET) | +120 |
Jameson Williams (DET) | +137 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.