NFL Picks Against The Spread: Detroit Lions vs. Minnesota Vikings Predictions

Detroit Lions vs. Minnesota Vikings

• The Detroit Lions are 2-1 straight up on the road this season
• The Minnesota Vikings are 0-2 straight up as favorites this season

The NFC North is suddenly wide open after three of the four teams lost in Week 8. Now entering Week 9, both the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings will be staking their claim to be a challenger down the back half of the season.

This game has all the makings of a let-down game for the Minnesota Vikings. After a huge underdog showing against the Green Bay Packers it is hard to imagine the Vikings will be able to have the same intensity coming into this game against Detroit. The Vikings will be looking at the success Jordan Wilkins had for the Colts in Week 8 and hoping to use Dalvin Cook to great success once again this week.

However, the Lions should be able to move the ball through the air against a team that ranks 28th in net yards per pass attempt. The Lions own defense will be a concern, but the Vikings potential let down game makes this an intriguing play for a Lions team that has every chance of being in the contest right up until the final moments of the game.

The NFC North is going to be a wild ride down the stretch, with all four teams looking to steal games off each other. Matthew Stafford should be able to move the ball down the field at will in this one. The Vikings defensive backs will struggle to cover the combination of Marvin Jones, Marvin Hall, Danny Amendola and T.J. Hockenson.

While I believe the Vikings will lean heavily on their run game to draw time out of the clock, the Lions offense, even without Kenny Golladay, can strike quickly. The Vikings offense was remarkably efficient last week in the run game, and still 50 points were scored in the frigid Green Bay weather. With this game indoors, look for both teams to rack up points. The over is 5-2 in Vikings games this year, demonstrating that even with an offense that leans on Dalvin Cook, they can still rack up points quickly.

NFL Expert Picks

1u – Detroit Lions ML @ +175

1u – Over 51.5 total points @ -110

NFL Free Picks

Week 9 of the NFL regular season is here and so is our team of handicappers, giving you the best free NFL picks you can find anywhere. The Packers and 49ers face off in a Thurday Night Football showdown with key games between the Seahawks and Bills, Ravens and Colts, Bears and Titans and Saints and Buccaneers coming up on Sunday

Our talented stable of handicappers, led by Ben Gretch, Davis Mattek, Alex Kirshner, Richard Johnson, Ben Rolfe and more brings complete written and video NFL analysis to our users week after week. Make sure you check the site daily for picks from them all.