Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions – Week 7 NFL Betting Analysis
Minnesota Vikings (4-2 4-2 ATS) at Detroit Lions (2-2-1 4-1 ATS)
The Vikings have won two in a row and head to the Motor City as a 1.5-point road favorite facing the Lions, who have lost two in a row.
The public has been backing the Vikings in this NFC North matchup, as this game opened as a PICK and as of Thursday Minnesota is a 1.5-point favorite.
Kirk Cousins took a lot of heat after the first few games but has stepped up his play and was great in Minnesota’s last game, which was a 38-20 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Lions were on the wrong end of some terrible calls from the officials in their last game, which they lost 23-22 to the Green Bay Packers on a last-season field goal.
This is the first game between these rivals in the NFC North, which may be the toughest division in football and where no team is under .500. The Vikings won both games facing the Lions last season and they have covered the spread in four of their last five games against them in Detroit.
Cousins Comes Up Big
In the big win over the Eagles in their last game Cousins stepped up passing for 333 yards with 4 TD and one INT. Stefon Diggs had 167 receiving yards and Adam Thielen had 57 receiving yards and they are one of the best WR duos in the league.
Not only did the Vikes win their last game but they did not get the best game from star RB Dalvin Cook, who ranks 4th in the league in rushing yards, who went for 41 yards on the ground only averaging 2.6 yards per carry.
The Lions played pretty good D in their first three games but not so much in the last two and they only rank 28th defending the pass and 27th defending the run.
The Vikings only two losses on the season have come facing the Packers and the Bears. The team has dealt with internal strife and issues with the play of Cousins and Diggs, but both are coming off big games and the Lions have to contain them with their defense, which has been less than stellar as of late, to say the least.
Get Over It
The Lions have to get back on the horse and forget about the one-point loss to the Packers in their last game where they blew a 13-0 lead and were on the wrong end of some horrible calls.
Matthew Stafford passed for 265 yards with no TD and no INT and Kenny Golladay, who leads Detroit in receiving yards this season, was his main target with 121 receiving yards.
After rushing for 125 yards in his previous game Kerryon Johnson only rushed for 34 yards in the loss to the Packers. He is only averaging 3.3 yards per carry on the season and he has to help Stafford out but has struggled in every game but the one where he went over 100+ yards.
Stafford has not proven to be a great QB under pressure and there is a lot of pressure on him and the Lions in this game. If they lose and fall under .500 it will be a long uphill battle to make the playoffs coming out of the tough NFC North.
Stafford and company face a very good Minnesota defense that ranks 5th in the league overall and 7thagainst the pass and 9th against the run.
Our Prediction
The Vikings have failed to cover in five of their seven road games and while the Lions have dropped two in a row, they have still covered the spread in their last four games.
I think the Vikings have turned the corner and will be a big force to deal with in the NFC this season. Cousins and Cook and the Minnesota D will play well and that equals a Vikings win, which will be their 3rd in a row putting the pressure on the Packers, who are in the lead in the NFC North.
PICK: Vikings -1.5