Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions Matchup Preview (12/5/21): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions Matchup Preview (12/5/21)

Entering Week 13 of the NFL regular season, we will see the Minnesota Vikings head to Detroit to face off against the Lions on Sunday, December 5th at 12:00 PM EST. The two teams have had struggling seasons in the NFC North this 2021 season. This will be the second time the teams are meeting this year which resulted in a close 19-17 win for the Vikings. The 5-6 Vikings are seeking to prevent a further deepening into a losing season while the 0-10-1 Lions are desperate to pull out their first win. This game will be critical for the Vikings if they want to keep their Wild Card chances alive looking into the postseason. Their big victory against the Green Bay Packers shows they have the potential to be a strong contender, but a loss to the worst team in the league can destroy their chances and morale fast.

Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions Betting Odds

One of the most simple betting strategies out there is to always bet against the worst team in the league. The Detroit Lions find themselves at the bottom of the barrel of this year’s standings and have dug a hole that may be too deep to escape. However, their gameplay has not been as bad as one would expect. They’ve had margin scores against top teams, such as a 16-15 loss against the powerful Buffalo Bills and a 19-17 loss to the NFC North leaders, the Baltimore Ravens. The Lions need to fine-tune their play and focus their defensive strategy in order to prevent more losses down the road.

The Vikings have not been their peak team this season either. They’re entering Week 13 with a record of 5-6 but still have a Wild Card opportunity. Vikings fans will say the last matchup between the two teams was too close for comfort. By only escaping a win by two points, many may worry that the Vikings are unfit to pull out a second win against the hungry Lions. ESPN projects the Vikings to win by 67.8%, but it was set at 74% last matchup. 

The spread for this game gives the Vikings the edge with -7, and the money line gives the Vikings -310 and the Lions +245. All signs are pointing towards a Vikings victory, but the last performance in the matchup leaves me questioning. Overall, I do have faith in Minnesota to take a dub, but I project it to be another close game.

My Prediction: Vikings win, 24-17

TV Schedule

Date: 12/5/21
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Location: Ford Field – Detroit, MI
TV Coverage: CBS

Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions Live Stream

Where can you watch Vikings vs. Lions online? You can stream this game, and many other NFL games live online with Hulu. Hulu has a 7 Day free trial and is cheaper than cable options at $5.99/month. Watch Vikings vs. Lions Free Online Now.

Minnesota Vikings Analysis

The 5-6 Minnesota Vikings have had a shaky record on the road this season. They have lost four out of five road games, amounting to most of their losses. Their home field advantage will be out of availability this week and will leave the team depending on talent to give them a win. In their last game, the close score did not rely heavily on offensive mistakes. Kirk Cousins only threw one interception and put up 275 yards with one touchdown. The fact that Cousins was only able to throw one touchdown against a bottom seven defense is very disappointing. On the season, Cousins has just over 3,000 yards and is averaging 274 per game. He has minimal interceptions compared to other big game quarterbacks in the league, with only three. Hopefully, Cousins can channel his precision and link with his receivers to gain yardage against the Lions.

The aggressive team running back Dalvin Cook is questionable going into this week. He suffered a shoulder injury in his left shoulder. It is speculated to have a torn labrum, and MRI results are pending. He sustained a similar injury in his right shoulder earlier this season, but that has not stopped him from having 773 yards on the season. 

The team is also suffering other injuries on their defense. Right defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson is out for an undisclosed reason. Other defensive players like Anthony Barr and Patrick Peterson are also questionable this week. These injuries are leaving the Vikings’ defense vulnerable and can give the struggling Lions’ offense room to make plays. 

Thankfully, their top receiver, Justin Jefferson, is healthy and will be playing this week. Jefferson is averaging 93 receiving yards per game and has 15.3 yards per carry. His agility and clutch hands have made influential plays for the Vikings all season. In order to pull out a win, Cousins will have to look downfield for Jefferson to take it to the endzone. The trust and connection between the two will be electrifying at Ford Field.

Minnesota Vikings Depth Chart

QB: Kirk Cousins
RB1: Dalvin Cook
RB2: Alexander Mattison
WR1: Justin Jefferson
WR2: Adam Thielen
WR3: K.J. Osborn
TE1: Tyler Conklin
TE2: Chris Herndon

Detroit Lions Analysis

The fans of the Detroit Lions have been shaking their heads since the beginning of the season. The zero-win start to the season has been devastating for fans, coaches, and players. The team is desperate to pull out their first win and are hoping a win against the Vikings will give them the fire they need to improve the year.

Jared Goff has been less than happy since he moved from the Rams to the Lions. Last week against the Chicago Bears, he had an impressive completion rate of 84%, yet still was not enough to secure a win. On the season, he has 2,280 yards and has thrown six interceptions. Again, that’s not horrible compared to other QBs in the league. Goff has been reliant on his star running back, D’Andre Swift, but Swift is, unfortunately, questionable this week. With his lead playmaker temporarily unavailable, Goff is going to have to utilize his less than stellar receivers T.J Hockenson and Kalif Raymond, instead. 

D’Andre Swift’s potential absence will significantly affect the gameplay and play calling in Week 13. Swift leads the team in yards with 555 rushing yards and 429 receiving yards this season. Swift is questionable due to a sprained shoulder injury he sustained early in the Thanksgiving game against the Bears. Without him, the Lions’ offense will suffer more than they already have this 2021 season.

The Lions’ top receiver, T.J Hockenson, isn’t even a wide receiver. The tight end is in his second NFL year, and he hasn’t proven himself to be a top player. He has 534 yards so far this year which places him at 45th in the league. This week, he will be looked at as a top target to help cover the missing powerhouse of Swift and cannot disappoint his team, or a loss will become more apparent.

Detroit Lions Depth Chart

QB: Jared Goff
RB1: D’Andre Swift
RB2: Jamaal Williams
WR1: Amon-Ra St. Brown
WR2: Kalif Raymond
WR3: Khadarel Hodge
TE1: T.J. Hockenson
TE2: Brock Wright

Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions Daily Fantasy Picks

Fantasy owners of D’Andre Swift have been happy with his points all year up until last week. Against the Cleveland Browns, he put up 22.6 points and has a high of 28.4 points against the Los Angeles Rams. With him being questionable, owners should be wary of having him in play this week.

I personally am not a big fan of players on either team on my fantasy team. I would suggest Kirk Cousins over Jared Goff since he has an average of 19.9 points a game compared to Goff’s 12.84.

It may be risky, but picking up or playing T.J Hockenson could lead to impressive points if Goff looks to him with a missing D’Andre Swift. Hockenson averages 11.9 points a game, but with potential for more targets, this week could lead to improvement and more significant stats. It may be risky but could land you a higher reward.