In what could be the game of the day, the Lions and Vikings should put on a show. Justin Jefferson has put up video game numbers against Detroit historically, and without Aidan Hutchinson pressuring Sam Darnold, may do so again, though Darnold’s production has dipped of late. Conversely, Jared Goff plays extraordinarily well against the blitz and has far too many weapons for Minnesota to cover going up against the NFL’s best offensive line. Dan Campbell (8-1 underdog streak) does a great job coaching up his team entering big games, and while the Vikings are the flavor of 2024, the Lions have a team experience edge. Perhaps we will look back having underestimated Hutchinson’s impact, but Detroit should pull this off.

The Lions are committed to the run, but they could struggle versus a Vikings defense allowing 3.6 yards per carry. Tim Patrick has suddenly become a relevant piece of Detroit's passing game. He has five catches for 120 yards the past two weeks. Patrick is earning raves from the coaching staff and his snap share is safe. Look for him to clear this prop total in a high-scoring game.

St. Brown has been quiet in the last two games but I expect him to be a big factor on Sunday. The Vikings allow the second-most yards per game to receivers. The team allowing the most? Detroit. It should be a high scoring game and six receivers have gone over 73.5 yards versus the Vikings this season. Minnesota allows just 67 rushing yards per game, so look for Jared Goff to throw a lot. St. Brown went over 100 yards both times against the Vikings last season. I like that trend to continue.

The Lions are the consummate pass-funnel defense, and now they don't have elite pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson. This sets up Sam Darnold for a huge day, especially given how much man coverage Detroit plays. Aaron Jones is expected to play, and he provides another boost in the passing game.

The current form of the Lions, who have scored 99 points combined in their last 2 games, illustrates they should not be an underdog to any divisional rival. Even if it's a undefeated Minnesota club playing at home.

The Lions at Vikings clash is an NFC North battle featuring teams that are flying high and playing great football. The Vikings are now 5-0 and the Lions are 4-1, but in their last two games, the Lions have been full throttle and looking like the best team in football. If the Vikings can could topple the Lions, then I have to start to think another way about the Vikings. The Lions have won the last three meetings in Minnesota and they've covered their last seven meetings. I'll take the Lions to cover and keep playing at their high level.

Williams is one of my favorite players to bet on for receiving yards because he can exceed his line on one catch. But it is important to pick the right spots for Williams, and this week vs. the Vikings is it. He has a 25% target share and 41.2% air yards share when QB Jared Goff is blitzed. We know Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores likes to bring the heat.

I've reversed my position on this game from earlier in the week. At the current number, I started to give more thought to the case for the Vikings with two weeks to prepare for this huge game. A healthy WR corps should have a lot of success against these Detroit CBs, especially with Carlton Davis' availability in doubt. The Detroit edge rushers are unlikely to have success against quality Minnesota tackles. The elite Lions run game will be up against one of the best run defenses in the league, putting pressure on Jared Goff to be the difference maker in a tough road environment. That home-field advantage puts me on Minnesota to win the game, so covering a small number should be expected.

Sam Darnold cannot get the ball to him often enough, especially with Aaron Jones beat up. Vikings better off throwing the ball around at home, with the Lions down their top two pass rushers. Jefferson's historic start to his career is punctuated by what he's done to the Lions. He has 124+ receiving yards in 6 of the last 7 against them. Averages 10 targets per game vs them.

Jefferson hasn't always had the best service from his QBs, but it doesn't slow him down, especially against the Lions. And now he gets them at home, fresh off a bye, without Aiden Hutchinson to terrorize Sam Darnold. Darnold has been awesome, especially at home. He's averaged 8 catches/G vs the Lions and has 11 or more catches in 3 of the last 5 games vs them. Lions secondary is improved, but this is going to be a problem for them.

Wouldn't surprise a bit if he picked this up all in one chunk. Can dominate on a bubble screen and working the sidelines very well these days, too. He has 43+ receiving yards in 7 of the last 8 games and 69+ in 5 of the last 6 games.

Williams continues to take on a bigger role in this offense and is a weapon running under the ball or running with it. He already has three catches of 50+ yards. He has a reception of 37 yards or more in 5 of the last 6 games. Vikings will be stretched thin by this offense and Jared Goff is in sync with the big play guy right now.

The Lions seem to really get off on him finishing drives, he sets a physical tone, and he just did it last week. Vikings are a very physical defense and the Lions have gotten in trouble in the past getting too cute in the redzone. This is a keep it simple stupid game to me. Dan Campbell will want to lean into his power back and finish drives with him rather than risk turnovers against an attacking defense on the road, with it difficult to hear and audible.

This has become almost automatic. Montgomery has done it for 8 straight regular season games and he was a scoring machine int he playoffs as well. It tends to happen on the opening drive, so a first TD play is never a bad idea, either. He scored a rushing TD in each game vs MIN last season. When they get inside the 10, he gets a heavy workload. Just keep riding the wave.

The Minnesota Vikings are 2-0 after their bye week with Kevin O’Connell as head coach. Detroit is coming off a big emotional revenge win against the Dallas Cowboys after the refs botched a two-point conversion last season. Minnesota is ranked second in run defense and first in opponent passer rating, which is a good combination against this Lions team. Detroit won both games against Minnesota last year, so the Vikings should be entirely focused with two weeks to prepare.

The Lions were dealt a serious blow when they lost defensive end Aiden Hutchinson. Still, I'm a believer in what Dan Campbell has going on in the Motor City. The Lions are loaded on offense, and while I admire the job Kevin O'Connell is doing, I think the Lions are the play here.