Do the Vikings make the playoffs?

The first decision of the season could be made on Sunday. The Detroit Lions welcome the Minnesota Vikings to Ford Field Stadium. Should the visitors win, Kevin O’Connell’s team would already be qualified for the playoffs.

Of course, the hosts want to prevent that, but they have to win to do so, because even a draw would be enough for Minnesota. Somewhat surprisingly, between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings, the betting odds point to a home win.

The Lions have won four of their last five games and are in great form. However, they will almost certainly not make the playoffs this season. The first place in the NFC North will go to the Minnesota Vikings, as the visitors only need a draw against Detroit or the eleventh win of the season. Still, between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings, the odds for an away win are surprisingly high.

The Vikings, however, are also in outstanding form. Minnesota have nine wins from their last ten games and are therefore almost unstoppable. So close to reaching the NFL playoffs, we don’t believe the visitors will slip up. The odds on an away win are set a little too high, especially since the Lions’ defence has had very big problems so far. We therefore recommend betting on a win for the visitors between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings.

Detroit Lions – Statistics & Current Form

The Detroit Lions are in ninth place in the National Football Conference. However, with five wins from twelve games, the playoffs seem hardly attainable. Still, there is a chance, as the Lions are currently only two wins behind the Seattle Seahawks, who are currently in seventh place in the NFC. With only five games left, Detroit can hardly afford to slip up, as there are other teams still lurking in the playoff spots.

Jamal Williams excels at running back

The Lions aren’t really in a good place in the NFL with just five wins and seven losses, and yet Detroit fields one of the league’s best offenses. On average, Dan Campbell’s team scored 26.3 points, which ranks sixth in the league. This is mainly due to running back Williams, who has already scored 14 touchdowns. Apart from a few kickers, no player in the NFL has been able to score more points and that speaks for itself.

Detroit is also not to be underestimated in the passing game and the chemistry between Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown seems to be particularly good. The duo has already scored six touchdowns in combination. The German-American St. Brown is ranked thirteenth in the league among receivers, despite having to sit out one game with an injury. With his 830 receiving yards he is probably one of the best ten pass receivers in the current season.

The weakest defence

While the offense is doing extremely well, the defense clearly seems to be the team’s weak point. No team allows as many points as the Detroit Lions. Coach Campbell’s team concedes 149.7 rushing yards against the run game and the Lions are anything but solid against the pass game either. With 252.5 passing yards allowed, the team is also far below in this category. Thus, a high-scoring game is on the horizon.

Key players of the Detroit Lions:
QB: Jared Goff – RB: Jamal Williams – WR: Amon-Ra St. Brown – DE: Aiden Hutchinson – K: Mike Badgley

Minnesota Vikings – Statistics & current form

The Minnesota Vikings are in second place in the National Football Conference. This makes Kevin O’Connell’s team currently the second best team in the entire NFL. Only the Philadelphia Eagles lost fewer games. A draw against Detroit is enough for a place in the playoffs and even if Minnesota should lose this game, the Vikings only have to win one of the following four games.

Jefferson x Cook

The Vikings are averaging 24.1 points, nearly matching the Lions. Minnesota is racking up 234.1 yards passing and has one of the best pass receivers on the team in Justin Jefferson. The wide receiver stands at 1,277 receiving yards and is only surpassed by Tyreek Hill. In addition, Justin Jefferson has already scored six touchdowns. Against the Lions’ weak defence, he will be one of the key figures to complete the run to the playoffs.

In addition to the passing game, however, the running game seems to be working very well. With Dalvin Cook, the Vikings have one of the best running backs in the league. In the twelve games so far he has scored 927 rushing yards and also seven touchdowns. He is therefore instrumental in Minnesota’s success and will be one of the crucial players along with Jefferson. With only 101.8 rushing yards per game, the Vikings are not statistically one of the best teams in the NFL.

Can the defence stop Detroit?

The Vikings’ defence is neither really strong nor particularly weak. Minnesota is allowing an average of 23.3 points and especially against Detroit the defensive line will have to give everything. The weakness against the passing game could be the biggest challenge, because no team allows as many passing yards as Minnesota. The Vikings are pretty good against the run game, but Jamal Williams’ defence will certainly get some decent pressure here as well.

Predicted Minnesota Vikings lineup:
QB: Kirk Cousins – RB: Dalvin Cook – WR: Justin Jefferson – FS: Harrison Smith – K: Greg Joseph

Detroit Lions – Minnesota Vikings Head-to-head comparison / H2H record

The head-to-head comparison between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings doesn’t really back up the odds. The visitors won 79 of the 114 meetings and are thus clearly superior. The last duel between the two teams took place on the third day of play and went to the Vikings with 28:24. Both teams were able to play to their strengths on the offensive side and we expect the same in the upcoming match. Nine of the past ten duels have been won by Minnesota.

Detroit Lions – Minnesota Vikings Tip

Between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings, our prediction points to a very exciting and even game. Both teams have a lot of quality on the offensive side and are hard to defend. In addition, both teams seem to have problems defensively and therefore we recommend betting on over 48.5 points between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings. We can well imagine a similar result as at the beginning of the season.

But we have also prepared another tip for you. Jamal Williams is the best scorer in the NFL and especially in such a crucial game he will deliver. He has scored more touchdowns than games played. In the past four games he scored seven touchdowns. We therefore recommend betting on a TD by the running back between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings.