Detroit Lions vs Minnesota Vikings: NFL Predictions, Odds & Best Bets

Two teams on top of the NFC North face off today for 1st place in the division, as the 4-1 Detroit Lions head to Minnesota to take on the undefeated Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings and Sam Darnold are coming off a bye week, but somehow they just keep on winning.

They beat the Giants in Week 1. Expected win there. Then they pulled off back to back upsets at home against the 49ers and the Texans. Okay… maybe they got lucky twice? In Week 4, they nearly blew a 28-0 lead against the Packers in Green Bay, but eventually won the game 31-29. Last time out, they took down the Jets at home by a score of 23-17. It might be time to consider the fact that Minnesota and Sam Darnold might simply be a good football team, but can they find a way to win tonight?

Even with Minnesota coming off a bye week, the Lions are dangerous. They have looked absolutely incredible in 4/5 games this season, losing to the Buccaneers at home in Week 2, but also being held scoreless in the 2nd half in the desert. Now, in their last two games, the Lions have scored 89 total points, giving up just 38 in the process. This is a perfect spot for the Lions to take down the Vikings in my opinion, but let’s really dive into this one and find out.

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Detroit Lions vs Minnesota Vikings: Battle for the North

Matchup Information – Lions vs Vikings

• Venue & Location: US Bank Stadium (Minneapolis, MN)
• Date: Sunday, October 20th, 2024
• Kick Off: 1:00pm Eastern
• Broadcast: FOX

Betting Odds

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Spread

• Lions +1 (-110)
• Vikings -1 (-110)

Money Line

• Lions -107
• Vikings -113

Total

• Over 50.5 (-110)
• Under 50.5 (-110)

Will Vikings Stay Perfect Against Lions?

Sure, the Vikings are undefeated. They look fine with Darnold leading the offense. And they are at home, coming off a bye week against a divisional opponent. The only problem? It’s a major look ahead spot for Minnesota.

They’ve been sitting on their rear ends for the past two weeks plotting for this game, yes, but take a look at their schedule. The Vikings have to turn around and travel out to Los Angeles on an extremely short week and take on the Rams on Thursday Night. Now, I understand this is not the same Rams team that went to the Super Bowl three short seasons ago. However, the quick turn around mixed with the travel is enough to take a team’s mind off of the game at hand.

In this matchup that is basically even all around, I’ve got to side with the more experienced quarterback. It’s no secret that the Lions have the more depth in their skill players, especially with Aaron Jones being a bit beat up. I see the Lions being able to spread the ball around, really milking the clock and keeping Justin Jefferson and the Vikings offense on the sidelines. Yes, Detroit will be without prolific pass rusher Aiden Hutchinson, but I see them countering this by slowly marching down the field when they have the ball.

Montgomery and Gibbs have proven to be able to handle the workload, and I see them both having plenty of touches today. Minnesota statistically has one of the best rushing defenses in the league, ranking 2nd in yards per game and 3rd in yards per rush. However, you can bet those numbers are inflated considering teams have played from behind in 90% of their games. Overall, I found plus money for whom I think is the better team, and I will be betting on them in this game. Plus we’ve found a player prop as well!

Detroit Lions vs Minnesota Vikings Best Bets

Lions vs Vikings Prediction: Lions Win, Over 50.5

Best Bet: Lions ML (-107) BetOnline

Now, this game is basically a pick’em so I implore you to do your lineshopping and find the best number. This is listed anywhere from -110 all the way up to +105, so please do your due diligence and save yourselves some cents by betting the best number. Regardless, I think the Lions roll.

Ultimately, I think they are the better team, we are getting a good price thanks to the market love on Minnesota, and I’m not worried about the Vikings off a bye week. Detroit has take down Minnesota in 3 straight games, and with the Vikings having to turn around and play Thursday, give me Dan Campbell and the Lions to take them down on the road today.

Bonus Bet: David Montgomery over 12.5 Carries (+100) BetOnline

We are also betting on David Montgomery to see tons of touches today. Although he splits carries with Gibbs, Montgomery is still the RB1 and sees a majority of the goal line touches. Montgomery has 9 more carries than Gibbs this season and 3 more rushing TDs. Now, Montgomery has only cleared this line in 2/5 games this year, ending twice with 12 carries and once with 11. This line is priced around (-120) elsewhere, so for even money, I like the Lions to dominate, forcing Montgomery into tons of touches.

Against the Cardinals, Montgomery saw 23 carries compared to Gibbs’ 16. We are seeing a similar game script to that matchup as we are with today’s against the Vikings, leading me to believe Montgomery will see plenty of a workload today.

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