Detroit Lions vs Minnesota Vikings prediction 1-7-24 NFL Picks

The Minnesota Vikings will play the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. Minnesota has lost three games in a row, while Detroit has won two of their last three games. Let’s take a look at the betting matchup and the Vikings vs Lions prediction.

Vikings Preview

The Minnesota Vikings are 7-9 this season after they lost to Green Bay by a score of 33-10 in their last game. Minnesota trailed 23-3 at the half and things only got worse in the second half for the loss. The Vikings were out gained by a total of 470-211 and turned the ball over two times in the game. Minnesota has also lost to Detroit and Cincinnati during this three game losing streak. The Vikings offense is averaging 20.3 points per game with 250 passing yards per game and 91.5 rushing yards per game. Minnesota has played musical chairs at the quarterback position this year and they have not named a starter for this game yet, but I would think it would be Nick Mullens. Mullens has thrown for 910 yards, five touchdowns, and six interceptions for the Vikings this season. Ty Chandler has rushed for 392 yards and three touchdowns, while Justin Jefferson has caught 56 passes for 882 yards and four scores. The Minnesota defense is allowing 20.8 points against per game this year. 

Lions Preview

The Detroit Lions are 11-5 this year after they lost to Dallas by a score of 20-19 last week. Detroit trailed 20-13 with under two minutes left in the game, but they were able to drive down to make it 20-19 with 23 seconds left. The Lions went for two and got it, but there was a flag thrown for a violation on the formation/ineligible man down field. Detroit was eventually stopped on the next conversion attempt for the loss. The Lions out gained Dallas by a total of 420-384 and both teams turned the ball over two times in the game. Detroit defeated Minnesota by a score of 30-24 and Denver by a score of 42-17 in the two games prior to Dallas. The Detroit offense is scoring 26.9 points per game with 255.6 passing yards per game and 140.1 rushing yards per game. Jared Goff has thrown for 4,255 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions for the Lions this season. David Montgomery has rushed for 975 yards and 12 scores, while Amon-Ra St. Brown has caught 112 passes for 1,371 yards and nine touchdowns. The Detroit defense is giving up 23.4 points against per game this season. 

Detroit Lions Team Facts

The Lions have won each of their last six games at Ford Field following a loss.
The Lions have covered the spread in each of their last six games against the Vikings.
The Lions have lost the first quarter in three of their last four games against teams that held a losing record.
The Lions have scored the first touchdown in each of their last four home games against the Vikings.
The Lions have won the first half in each of their last nine games following a loss.

Minnesota Vikings Team Facts

The Vikings have won each of their last two games as moderate underdogs (+3.5 to +7.0 points).
The Vikings have covered the spread in each of their last four road games against NFC opponents.
The Vikings have lost the first quarter in four of their last five games in January.
The Vikings have scored the first touchdown in five of their last six road games.
The Vikings have lost the first half in five of their last six games as underdogs against NFC North opponents.

Detroit Lions Player Prop Facts

David Montgomery has scored a touchdown in each of his four previous appearances with the Lions as home favorites against NFC opponents.
Jahmyr Gibbs has recorded 82+ rushing and receiving yards in five of his last six Sunday appearances with the Lions as favorites.
Kalif Raymond has recorded 17+ receiving yards in eight of the Lions’ last nine home games against NFC opponents.
David Montgomery has recorded 55+ rushing yards in each of the Lions’ last seven games as favorites.
Teddy Bridgewater has recorded 258+ passing yards in three of his last four appearances against NFC North opponents.
Jared Goff has thrown two or more touchdowns in 14 of the Lions’ last 15 home games against NFC opponents.
Jared Goff has recorded 25+ completions in five of his last six appearances against the Vikings.
Cameron Sutton is just two away from 10 career interceptions.

Minnesota Vikings Player Prop Facts

Joshua Dobbs has scored a touchdown in each of his last five Sunday appearances with his team as an underdog.
Alexander Mattison has recorded 45+ rushing and receiving yards in seven of the Vikings’ last eight Sunday road games.
Kirk Cousins has recorded 338+ passing yards in each of the Vikings’ last four games at Ford Field.
T.J. Hockenson has recorded 55+ receiving yards in each of the Vikings’ last seven games as road underdogs.
Alexander Mattison has recorded 31+ rushing yards in each of the Vikings’ last eight Sunday road games.
Kirk Cousins has thrown two or more touchdowns in eight of his last nine appearances.
Kirk Cousins has recorded 24+ completions in each of his last five appearances against the Lions.
Danielle Hunter ranks 1st in the NFC for sacks (15.5) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

The Lions rank T2nd in the NFL in H1 win percentage this season (75.0).
The Lions rank 3rd in the NFL in yards per game this season (395.7).
The Vikings rank T4th in the NFL in fumbles recovered this season (11).
The Vikings rank T28th in the NFL in Q1 points per game this season (2.5).

Vikings vs Lions Betting Prediction

Detroit is pretty much locked into the three seed in the NFC, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see them rest a lot of their starters in this game. The Lions just beat Minnesota by six points on Christmas Eve and they are 5-2 at home this season, but it’s a game that really doesn’t matter for either side. Minnesota has not had much luck with the quarterback position since Cousins went down, but they will go up against a Detroit defense that has had plenty of issues this year. I think this is a spot where Minnesota can catch Detroit resting some guys, so I am going to take the points with the Vikings here.