The Detroit Lions visit the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. Here’s our complete guide to Lions Vikings Bet Tips.
Detroit Lions (3-4) at Minnesota Vikings (2-5)
All odds and lines from PointsBet, current as of Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET.
Lions Vikings Bet Tips
Lions Vikings Odds and Betting Lines
- Against The Spread: Vikings -4 (-110)/Lions +4 (-110)
- Moneyline: Vikings (-200)/Lions (+170)
- Total: 52.5 — Over 52.5 (-110)/Under 52.5 (-110)
- Implied Team Totals: Vikings 28, Lions 24
The Lions are winners of three of their past five games but are coming off of a blowout loss to the Colts, travel to Minnesota to challenge a Vikings club coming off of a shocking win over the Packers, primarily due to the sheer dominance of Dalvin Cook and Green Bay’s inability to play physical football.
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Lions Vikings Injury Report
Lions
- WR Kenny Golladay (hip), Out
- CB Desmond Trufant (hamstring), Questionable
- DE Trey Flowers (wrist), Out
Vikings
- CB Holton Hill (foot), Questionable
- CB Mike Hughes (neck), Out
- OL Pat Elflein (thumb), Questionable
Lions Vikings Players to Watch
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins has been as inconsistent as they come through the first half of 2020. While Cousins has only passed for north of 300 yards one time this season, he also has 11 giveaways in seven games. Cousins only accounted for nine total turnovers through 15 games played in 2019.
Currently, Cousins has thrown 10 interceptions and is on pace to blow away his previous career-high of 13, which he set back in 2017 when he was still playing for Washington.
Cousins will have his hands full on Sunday facing a Lions defense that has played better than expected this season, but can still be broken.
Since joining the Vikings back in 2018, Cousins is 4-0 against Detroit. He’s thrown for at least 242 passing yards in three straight games against them while throwing nine total touchdowns and one pick in that time period.
Cousins will have to play near-flawless football to give the Vikings a chance to win the game.
Lions QB Matthew Stafford is playing below expectations in 2020, primarily due to inconsistency at wide receiver.
Stud wideout Kenny Golladay missed the first two games of the year, only to return and get the Detroit offense, and Stafford, back on track. Golladay went for at least 100 receiving yards or a touchdown in the four games that he was healthy.
However, Golladay exited last week’s loss to the Colts with a hip injury and did not return. The hip injury proved to be significant as he will also miss Sunday’s matchup with the Vikings, which does not bode well for Stafford or the Lions’ offense.
Stafford will have to lean on T.J. Hockenson and Marvin Jones this week while Golladay is sidelined.
In his past four games facing the Vikings, Stafford is 0-4 while passing for fewer than 199 yards without a score in two of the four matchups.
Lions Vikings Weather Report
The temperature at U.S. Bank Stadium is forecast for 63 degrees Fahrenheit at the time of kickoff.
Since U.S. Bank Stadium is a dome, the only weather Lions and Vikings players will be battling is the unseasonably warm temperature.
Lions Vikings Bet Tips
BEST BET: Vikings -4 (-110)
While the Lions have been hot leading up to last week’s loss to the Colts, their push for the playoffs could be coming to an end as soon as Sunday.
The Dalvin Cook-led Vikings are coming off of a dominant win over the Packers — the game was not as close as the final score — and are playing with confidence. They are also protecting Kirk Cousins’ uncharacteristic turnover-prone 2020 by featuring Cook when he is healthy.
If this game turns into a blow-for-blow shootout, I don’t think the Lions can keep up sans Kenny Golladay, who is already ruled out with a hip injury.
In the last five meetings between the Lions and Vikings, the favorite is 5-0 against the spread. In this case, the favorite is the Vikings.
Meanwhile, Detroit is 0-5 ATS in their last five meetings overall. The last time the Lions covered the spread against the Vikings was back in October of 2017.
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CONSIDER: Over 52.5 (-110)
This game features two teams with middle-of-the-pack offenses and bend but extremely breakable defenses.
The Lions offense is ranked 22nd in total yards (350.1) and 18th in points (25.3) while their defense is ranked 22nd (378.4) and 26th (29.4) respectively in those categories.
The Vikings offense is ranked 16th in total yards (367.0) and 13th in points (26.1) while their defense is ranked 29th (411.7) and 29th (30.6) respectively in those categories.
The over is 4-0 in Minnesota’s last four games in November as well as their last four games at home.
The over is also 4-1 in the Vikings’ last five games overall. In the last five meetings between the Lions and Vikings, the over is 2-3.
PASS: Lions (+170)
This is all about momentum for me. I was all-in on the Lions entering last week’s loss to the Colts. Then, the 41-21 blowout happened.
What’s more, the Lions already had an inconsistent offense with Kenny Golladay, but as a result of a hip injury suffered in the Week 8 defeat, he will miss this week’s matchup with the Vikings, making the Detroit offense that much more unreliable.
With the Vikings coming in hot and on top of that, playing at home and winners of each of their past five games against the Lions, I don’t see how Detroit picks up an outright win on Sunday.
I don’t normally like to completely rule out the dog in these intra-division matchups, but the Lions are making it easy.
Anthony Cervino is 14-8-1 on his NFL Best Bets in 2020.
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