Minnesota at Detroit Week 13 Betting Lines & Pick

The Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions are set to clash in a gigantic Thanksgiving clash this Thursday, with both teams tied atop the NFC North division with replica 6-4 records. A win for the Vikings would see them leap over Detroit with a one-game lead and a better divisional record. On the contrast, a win for the Lions would be huge, giving them a one-game lead in the division plus a locked tie-breaker over the Vikings, whom they already beat less than three weeks ago when the two teams met on November 6th. Raising the stakes even higher, the loser of this Thursday Night NFL showdown would fall far-behind in the NFC playoff race, where several teams are playing so well with the likes of the Giants (7-3) and Redskins (6-3- 1) strongly gunning for the Wild Card slots. Keeping all that in mind, let’s jump into our NFL betting preview and find out which team is likely to come out on top in this massive Turkey Day clash.

Minnesota at Detroit Week 13 Betting Lines & Pick

Today’s #Vikings injury report pic.twitter.com/9REYNdiTFF

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) November 22, 2016

Where: Ford Field, Detroit When: Thursday, November 24, 12:30 PM ET TV: CBS Radio: Minnesota / Detroit Stream Option: NFL Live NFL Lines: Detroit (-2.5), OVER/UNDER 43

Why Bet on Minnesota?

Thanks to a dominant defensive display that included two game-changing turnovers returned for touchdowns and an upstart performance the Sam Bradford-led offense, the Vikings were able to outlast the Arizona Cardinals in a 30-24 victory; a win that ended Minnesota’s four-game losing skid. Next up, the Vikings will be going against the Lions 18 days after Detroit—as a 5-point underdog—upset Minnesota in a thrilling 22-16 OT win. With stud running back Adrian Peterson still out, the Vikes have struggled to run the ball and Bradford hasn’t been able to do much lately with his talented receivers. Minnesota has, however, remained competitive, thanks mainly to their disciplined ball-hawking and blitzing defense that ranks #2 in the nation in points allowed per game (17.6), #2 in total interceptions (12), #3 in total defense (306.9 YPG), #3 in passing defense (206 YPG passing) and #7 in sacks this season (26.0). If Xavier Rhodes and the defense can set the tone of the game—as they’ve has done so many times this season—and the offense is able to muster a decent number of scoring drives, then returning the upset favor to Detroit should be very possible for the visitors.

Why Bet on Detroit?

As has been the case for nearly all their games this season, the Lions trailed in the fourth quarter of their Week 11 encounter, but Stafford proved to be clutch once again as he lead the Lions to a scoring drive that eventually sealed a 26-19 win over the Jags. That victory allowed the Lions to improve to 4-1 at home, a record they’ll be hoping to better when they host the road-shaky Vikings, who are 2-3 on the road this year. Of course, there is a bit of some worry to the fact that Stafford, despite leading his team to a win last week, was unable to throw a TD pass against Jacksonville’s porous defense and the Lions’ weak running game (ranked #30 in the league with just 79 YPG rushing) was also unable to get going for the umpteenth time this season. But on a positive side, Detroit’s defense chipped in strongly against the Jags with Andre Roberts recording a 55-yard punt return and Rafael Bush also posting a 39-yard interception return. And as far as Stafford goes, he did manage to throw for 219 yards and two touchdowns in the OT victory at Minnesota in Week 9. If Stafford can re-find his groove and the defense offers another solid shift of work on the other side of the ball, it should be all good for the Lions. Not to forget, Minnesota’s run defense has been permeable (allowing 100.8 rushing yards per game), a loophole that could be due for exploitation by the Lions after Stafford highlighted this week that his team’s major focus in the offense is to be “efficient and explosive” in the run game.

Expert NFL Predictions and Picks

Besides the fact that the Lions already proved that they are capable of making plays against Minnesota’s defense and beating the Vikings through their Week 9 win at the U.S. Bank Stadium; these two teams appear to be trending differently in a manner that favors the Lions. Since suffering an unlucky 16-15 home upset against the Titans in Week 2, the Lions have recovered by winning four straight home games, including last week’s victory over the Jags. The Vikings, meanwhile, started the season by winning two straight on the road, but have since dropped their last three games away from home. In addition, the Vikings are just 1-4 in their last five overall games while the Lions are 5-1 in their last 6 overall outings. With that, we are inclined to trust the in-form Lions over the recently-struggling Vikings for the win. As for the ATS bet, well, it’s all a toss-up. The Lions have been winning with very tight margins and only one of their home wins has come by 3-plus points. The Vikings, on the other hand, have lost their last three road games by 6-or- more points. So, while we are leaning on Detroit for the ATS value, we feel that the strongest play will be on the moneyline side. Final Score Prediction: Detroit 24, Minnesota 20 Writer’s NFL Pick: Detroit (Money Line)