Among the early Sunday afternoon games on the fifth NFL Sunday of the season is this NFC North Divisional matchup between two reeling rivals. The winless Detroit Lions will attempt to get off the schneid once again this week when they take on the 1-3 Minnesota Vikings. Both teams are clearly already facing an uphill battle in the standings after four weeks. A win in this divisional showdown is a must to keep pace. The NFL betting odds have made the home team a rather large favorite ahead of this Lions vs Vikings battle.
The following Lions vs Vikings NFL betting preview will give you the current odds, betting trends and picks for the Week 5 matchup, along with a stream link to watch games all season long.
Lions vs Vikings Week 5 NFL Betting Preview
NFL Regular Season — Week 5 Game
Detroit Lions (0-4, 0-2 Away) vs. Minnesota Vikings (1-3, 1-1 Home)
Date: Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021
Time: 1 p.m. EST
Venue: U.S. Bank Stadium — Minneapolis, MN
Coverage: Click here for the stream
Detroit Lions Preview
After losing on a record-breaking field goal two weeks ago, the Lions were a publicly-backed NFL betting underdog in Week 4. All of those tickets were ultimately losers, as Detroit suffered a 10-point loss at the hands of rookie quarterback Justin Fields and the Chicago Bears. No matter which way you look at the Lions’ performance from last week, it wasn’t pretty. Defensively, they surrendered 24 points to a team that only managed 47 yards the week prior. Offensively, they coughed up to fumbles and were shut out for the entire first half. Quarterback Jared Goff did wind up throwing for nearly 300 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but it was too little, too late.
Not many NFL betting analysts were high on the Lions coming into the year. After four weeks of play, it seems safe to say they were right in being pessimistic. One interesting component from the Week 4 loss to monitor going forward is the wide receivers. Detroit’s two uber-talented young wideouts, Quintez Cephus and Amon-Ra St. Brown, combined for 10 catches and 153 yards. It will be very interesting to see if they remain involved in the Lions’ game plan moving forward, especially this week against a suspect Vikings secondary.
Minnesota Vikings Preview
After getting over the hump to earn their first win of the season two weeks ago, the Vikings ran into a brick wall last Sunday. The offense could not get much of anything going against the stout Cleveland Browns defense. As a result, Minnesota suffered their third loss of the season in a low-scoring affair. If not for the spotty quarterback play of Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield, the margin of victory could’ve been a whole lot more. Kirk Cousins had his worst statistical performance of the season in Week 4, barely eclipsing 200 yards through the air. The fact that he was under duress all afternoon certainly did not help matters.
On the bright side, the Vikings offensive line figures to have a much easier go of it in their Week 5 NFL betting contest against the Lions. So long as Cousins has time in the pocket, the Vikings’ talented WR duo of Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen ought to be able to feast on the Lions’ secondary. The question then becomes whether Mike Zimmer’s young defense can slow down the Detroit offense. Given how the unit has fared at stopping the run thus far, they could very well have their hands full against the dynamic RB duo of D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams.
Lions vs Vikings Odds and Spread
NFL betting odds for Lions vs Vikings are taken from BetMGM Sportsbook.
Moneyline: DET: (+300) | MIN: (-375)
Spread: DET: +7.5 (-110) | MIN: -7.5 (-110)
Total: 49.5 — Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)
Public (Spread) Betting Percentages via Action Network: DET: (55%) | MIN: (45%)
Lions vs Vikings NFL Betting Trends
- The Lions are 2-2 ATS and 2-2 to the over this season.
- The Vikings are 2-2 ATS and 2-2 to the over this season.
- Lions are 1-5 ATS in their last six road games.
- Vikings are just 2-9 ATS in their last 11 games.
- Vikings are 7-0 SU and 6-1 ATS in their last seven head-to-head matchups against the Lions.
Lions vs Vikings Stats
- Detroit is averaging 20.2 points per game (PPG) this season (No. 24 in the NFL).
- Detroit is surrendering 29.8 PPG this season (No. 29 in the NFL).
- Minnesota is averaging 23.5 PPG this season (T-No. 17 in the NFL).
- Minnesota is surrendering 23.0 PPG this season (T-No. 11 in the NFL).
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Lions vs Vikings Prediction
The Lions vs Vikings NFL betting prediction uses the ESPN Football Power Index.
Lions: 26.2%
Vikings: 73.6%
Tie: 0.2%
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