Vikings vs. Lions Pick
Will the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings have another defensive battle when they meet on Thursday at 12:30PM ET?
According to the oddsmakers at BetDSI, the Lions are a slight favorite at home in this game, as Detroit is getting odds of -2.5 points against the Vikings. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 43 points. The Lions have won three of the last five in this series, including a 22-16 OT win in Minnesota on Nov. 6. These two have hit the under in five of their last six meetings.
Detroit is coming off a 26-19 win over the Jaguars last week at home to move to 6-4 on the season. Detroit has won five of its last six games coming into Thanksgiving and the Lions have hit the under in four straight as well. Detroit is putting up 23.1 points and 344.6 yards per game on offense. The group is struggling to run the ball, averaging only 79.5 yards per game on the ground. Matthew Stafford has thrown for 2,651 yards and 18 touchdowns with five interceptions. Defensively, Detroit is giving up 22.5 points and 369.7 yards per game. However, the unit has been great lately. They have held their last four opponents to 20 points or less. DeAndre Levy could possibly make his return this week. He hasn’t played since Week 1 because of a quad injury.
Minnesota snapped a four-game losing streak last Sunday with a 30-24 victory over the Cardinals. The Vikings are 6-4 on the season and 6-4 with the under this year. The Vikings rely heavily on their defense. They are giving up 17.6 points and 327.1 yards per game. Their pass defense is allowing just 226.3 yards per game. The unit has 26 sacks this season with 20 turnovers. Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter have combined for 13 sacks while Xavier Rhodes has four interceptions. Offensively, Minnesota has struggled. The Vikings are averaging just 20.5 points and 312.7 yards per game. They have the league’s worst run game at just 70 yards per contest. Sam Bradford has thrown for 2,191 yards and 12 touchdowns but has just two interceptions.
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These two hit the under in their first meeting and that was even with an extra TD in overtime. The Detroit defense has been improving a great deal in recent weeks while the Minnesota defense is always solid. The scoring will be up to both quarterbacks and I don’t expect Bradford to light up the Lions while Stafford will struggle to consistently produce drives on the Vikings.
NFL WEEK 12 PICK: VIKINGS/LIONS UNDER 43