Vikings

There's A Reason the Lions Are Favored Over the Vikings

Photo credit: Junfu Han-Detroit Free Press via USA TODAY Sports

This week’s matchup for the Minnesota Vikings has all the characteristics of a trap game. They’ll be on the road, playing a Detroit Lions team that is better than their record suggests. Despite being 10-2, the Vikings are currently 2.5 point underdogs against the 5-7 Lions. The oddsmakers in Vegas aren’t whacked out from all the eye and nose candy they have in Sin City. There’s a reason the Lions are favored.

The Lions were on a five-game losing streak, starting with their 28-24 Week 3 loss to the Vikings and ending with their 15-9 win over the Green Bay Packers. Since then, Detroit has started to figure things out. First, after beating the Packers, they topped the Chicago Bears 31-30 on the road. Green Bay and Chicago haven’t been very good this year, though. Detroit needs a signature win, something that says, We’re not dead yet!

That came the following week when they stormed into MetLife Stadium and beat the New York Giants. New York was 7-2 entering this game and had won five out of their last six games. Then the Lions lost to the Buffalo Bills by a field goal on Thanksgiving. They proceeded to take out their frustrations on Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars, blowing them out 40-14.

Dan Campbell has created a positive culture that players are buying into. His players see their head coach screaming about how he wants to run through walls and bust some kneecaps. That inspires his players to put everything on the line despite their record. Despite their completely different personalities, Campbell has had a Kevin O’Connell-like effect on his team.

The Lions still have hope because their strength of schedule is pretty easy. Detroit plays the Vikings, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, Bears, and Packers in the next five games. The Vikings and Jets are tough opponents, but they’re certainly beatable. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Lions won out.

The state of the NFC also has to be considered. Going into Week 14, the Seattle Seahawks hold the 7-seed at 7-5, followed by the Washington Commanders, who hold the 8-seed at 7-5-1. Both of these teams have vulnerabilities. The Commanders play in the NFC East, and a division rival could eliminate them from the playoff picture. Meanwhile, Seattle has lost two out of their last three games and nearly lost to a Los Angeles Rams team with John Wolford under center.

The teams below Detroit in the playoff picture aren’t very formidable, either. The 10th-seed Packers have been riddled with injuries. The 11th-seed Falcons have lost four out of their last five games, with the only win coming against the Bears. The Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, and New Orleans Saints will probably fire their head coaches this offseason, and the Rams don’t have Matthew Stafford.

Another thing that benefits the Lions is that the Giants-Commanders game ended in a tie. Usually, when a team is a long shot at making the playoffs, they rely on only one team losing out. However, since that game ended in a tie, Detroit has two pathways to the postseason instead of one.

The Lions are going to play with a lot of intensity. The last time they played Minnesota, Detroit was physical throughout the game and did an admirable job of slowing down Justin Jefferson, who caught 3 passes for 14 yards. Not to mention, they did this on the road in one of the most difficult stadiums to play in. Now, the Lions will be at home, and their offense won’t have to worry about the crowd noise.

The Vikings need to navigate a hostile environment against a division rival seeking revenge and play with the same level of urgency that the Lions will play with. Even though losing this game won’t hurt Minnesota’s playoff chances, it would effectively kill any chance of the Vikings getting the 1 seed. Clinching the division in Detroit and rubbing in their faces would be nice, but Minnesota’s primary motivation should be to keep pace with the Eagles.

If there’s one thing that the Lions have proven this season, it’s that they will never stop competing or believing in themselves. From this point on, every week will be like a playoff game for Detroit – win or go home. We know the Lions will play with a sense of urgency, but will the Vikings match their intensity level?

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