Vikings vs. Lions: Preview, score prediction for Week 12
By Nick Sparrow
Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings will kick off the NFL’s Thanksgiving slate of games. Minnesota is coming off of a dominant performance over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 11, whereas the Lions held on to defeat the division rival Chicago Bears 27-24.
Meanwhile, the Vikings look like on the best teams in the NFL with an 8-2 record but the Lions have won their last three matchups by a single score or less, including a 16-13 victory last Thanksgiving.
Keys to Victory
The primary key to victory for the Vikings is winning the turnover battle against the Lions. In their last two meetings, the Vikings have turned the ball over four times and failed to force any turnovers. Minnesota is a great team but Detroit seems to have their number and turnovers is a big part of that. If Minnesota can avoid giving up the ball on offense and force Matthew Stafford to throw some interceptions to the fantastic Vikings secondary, they could easily win this game.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
Detroit needs to improve on their red zone scoring in this game. Detroit moves the ball well but has struggled to score when within 20 yards of the end zone. Through the first eleven weeks of the season, the Lions rank sixth in total passing yards and fifth in passing touchdowns and total points scored.
However, according to Pro Football Focus, they rank just 27th in red zone efficiency, scoring on just 15.1 percent of their red zone opportunities. To compare, the fifth-ranked Vikings are scoring on 23.4 percent of their red zone opportunities. The Vikings defense is a truly elite unit and the Lions can not afford to blow key scoring opportunities in this game.
Betting Odds
Point Spread: Minnesota -3
Moneyline: Minnesota -147, Detroit +133
Over/Under: 44.5
Next: NFL 2017: 20 Bold predictions for Week 12
Prediction
The Vikings look fantastic on both offense and defense this season and look to be one of the top contenders to get a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs. However, Detroit has proven that they can pull out close wins over this team for whatever reason. The Lions have won their last four Thanksgiving Day games and their three against the Vikings. I think Detroit can pull off an upset on Thursday too.
Final Score: Detroit Lions: 21, Minnesota Vikings: 17