Betting tips for 'Sunday Night Football': NFC's top seed at stake in Vikings-Lions tilt
What a way to end the NFL regular season. The Minnesota Vikings (14-2, 12-4 ATS) hit the road to take on the Detroit Lions (14-2, 10-5 ATS) to determine the NFC North title and the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.
The loser drops down to the No. 5 seed and will have to open the postseason on the road.
The Lions won the first matchup back in Week 7, 31-29.
Sunday's final game of the regular season is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock.
Odds current as of publish time, courtesy of ESPN BET
Spread: Lions -3 (Opened Lions -3)Moneyline: Lions -150, Vikings +130Over/Under: 56.5 (Opened 51.5)
First-half spread: Lions -1.5 (-105), Vikings +1.5 (-115)Vikings first-half points: 13.5 (Over -105/Under -125)Lions first-half points: 14.5 (Over -105/Under -125)
Sam Darnold total passing yards: 274.5 (Over -135/Under +105)Darnold total passing TDs: 1.5 (Over -210/Under +160)Jared Goff total passing yards: 274.5 (Over -140/Under+110)Goff total passing TDs: 1.5 (Over -190/Under +150)
Jahmyr Gibbs total rushing yards: 89.5 (Over -105/Under -125)Aaron Jones total rushing yards: 59.5 (Over -105/Under -125)
Justin Jefferson total receiving yards: 99.5 (Over +105/Under -135)Amon-Ra St. Brown total receiving yards: 79.5 (Over -Even/ Under -130)Jordan Addison total receiving yards: 59.5 (Over -135/Under +105)Jameson Williams total receiving yards: 59.5 (Over -105/Under -125)Sam LaPorta total receiving yards: 49.5 (Over -130/Under -Even)T.J. Hockenson total receiving yards: 44.5 (Over -130/Under -Even)Gibbs total receiving yards: 34.5 (Over -105/Under -125)
Sunday Night Football prediction, odds, line, spread: Vikings vs. Lions picks by NFL expert on 70-39 roll
The NFC North title and top seed in the NFC will be on the line when the Minnesota Vikings take on the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football in Week 18. Detroit defeated Minnesota, 31-29, in Week 7. The Vikings (14-2), who are seeking their first division crown since 2022, are 6-1 on the road this season. The Lions (14-2), who are seeking back-to-back division titles for the first time since 1953 and 1954, are 6-2 on their home field. The Vikings lead the all-time series 80-44-2, but Detroit has won the last four meetings.
Kickoff from Ford Field in Detroit is set for 8:20 p.m. ET. The Lions are three-point favorite in the latest Vikings vs. Lions odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 56.5. Detroit is the -155 money-line favorite (risk $155 to win $100), while Minnesota is the +130 underdog (risk $100 to win $130). Before you make any Vikings vs. Lions best bets, make sure to check out the NFL predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine expert R.J. White, considering his mastery of picks involving the Vikings.
White, a Fantasy and gambling editor for CBS Sports, consistently crushes against-the-spread picks and has gone 643-543-34 on his ATS betting picks from 2017-23, which returned more than $4,600 to $100 players. He also went 101-84-4 (+1366) on all NFL spread picks last season. White also has a strong read on the Vikings. He is an outstanding 70-39-5 (+2718) on his last 114 picks in games involving the Vikings. Anyone who has followed him on sportsbooks and betting apps is way up.
Now, White has locked in on Vikings vs. Lions and just revealed his coveted NFL picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several NFL odds and NFL betting lines for Vikings vs. Lions:
Veteran quarterback Jared Goff powers Detroit's offense. In 16 starts, he has completed 363 of 506 passes (71.7%) for 4,398 yards and 36 touchdowns with 10 interceptions and a 113.6 rating. He has thrown for 300 or more yards in each of the last three games.
His top target is wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. In 16 games, he caught 109 passes for 1,186 yards (10.9 average) and 12 touchdowns. He had 13 explosive plays of 20 yards or more, including a long of 66, with 68 first-down conversions. In the win at Minnesota on Oct. 20, he caught eight passes for 112 yards and one touchdown. See who to back at SportsLine.
Veteran quarterback Sam Darnold is the key to Minnesota's offensive success. He has played a career-high 16 games, completing 343 of 504 passes (68.1 average) for a career-high 4,153 yards and 35 touchdowns with 12 interceptions for a 106.4 rating.
Wide receiver Justin Jefferson is his top target. In 16 games, he has 100 receptions for 1,479 yards and 10 touchdowns, including 27 explosive plays of 20 yards or more, including a long of 97, with 466 yards after the catch and 61 first-down conversions. See who to back at SportsLine.
White has analyzed Vikings vs. Lions from every possible angle. He's leaning under on the point total and has also discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. Find out what it is, and which team to back, at SportsLine.
So who wins Lions vs. Vikings on Sunday Night Football, and what critical x-factor makes one side of the spread hit hard? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Lions vs. Vikings spread to back, all from the expert who is an incredible 70-39 on picks involving Minnesota, and find out.
Lions vs. Vikings NFL props, Sunday Night Football picks, AI prediction, SGP: Sam Darnold under 285.5 yards
The NFL regular season concludes with a thrilling Sunday Night Football showdown between the Detroit Lions (14-2) and Minnesota Vikings (14-2) in a game that will determine the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff bracket. Detroit has scored at least 34 points in four straight games, including its 40-34 win at San Francisco last Monday. Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs had 117 rushing yards, giving him back-to-back 100-yard rushing performances. His over/under for rushing yards this week is 87.5 in the latest Lions vs. Vikings odds from the SportsLine Consensus. Gibbs' over/under for total rush attempts on Sunday is 18.5.
Gibbs has taken on a heavier workload following David Montgomery's injury, racking up 41 total carries over the past two weeks. However, the game script on SNF might lead to more passing from the Lions, so which side of Gibbs' props should you target with your Vikings vs. Lions prop bets? Before betting any NFL props for Sunday Night Football or entering NFL predictions on sites like PrizePicks, you need to see the Lions vs. Vikings NFL prop predictions powered by SportsLine's AI PickBot.
Built using cutting-edge artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques by SportsLine's Data Science team, AI Predictions and AI Ratings are generated for each player prop. The AI predictions are determined by statistically learning from each player's historical data and then quantitatively evaluating the strength of the opponent's defense by assigning a numeric value out of 100 called a matchup score.
Once a prediction is formulated, the AI rating is generated using the prediction, the matchup score, and the odds of the market. SportsLine's AI PickBot has nailed 2,131 4.5- and 5-star prop picks since the start of last season.
For Lions vs. Vikings NFL betting on Sunday Night Football, the AI PickBot has evaluated the NFL player prop odds and provided Vikings vs. Lions prop picks for every available prop market. You can only see the AI player prop predictions for Detroit vs. Minnesota here.
After analyzing Vikings vs. Lions props and examining the dozens of NFL player prop markets, the AI PickBot says Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold goes Under 285.5 passing yards (-118 on FanDuel). Darnold is coming off his highest passing yards performance of the season, completing 33 of 43 passes for 377 yards in a win over the Packers. However, that has led to an inflated total heading into this rematch with the Lions.
Darnold only had five incompletions in the first meeting between these teams, but his 22 completions resulted in just 259 passing yards. He has been held under 285 passing yards in 12 of 16 games this season, and he has finished with less than 260 passing yards in three career games against Detroit. The AI PickBot has Darnold finishing with 248 passing yards, making the Under a 4-star prop. See more NFL props here.
In addition, the AI PickBot says another star sails past his total and has five other NFL props rated four stars or better. You need to see the AI PickBot's analysis before making any Vikings vs. Lions prop bets for Sunday Night Football.
Which Lions vs. Vikings prop bets should you target for Sunday Night Football? Visit SportsLine now to see the top Vikings vs. Lions props, all from the SportsLine AI PickBot that has nailed 2,131 top-rated picks since the start of last season.
Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings battle for NFC's top playoff spot
(CBS DETROIT) — The Detroit Lions (14-2) and Minnesota Vikings (14-2) square off at Ford Field Sunday night with the NFC's No. 1 playoff seed on the line.
The winner gets home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, a bye in the wild card round and the NFC North title. The loser will take the No. 5 seed and start the postseason on the road against the Los Angeles Rams next week as the league's first 14-win wild card.
This game marks the first-ever to feature teams with 13-plus wins and a combined 28 victories in the regular season.
The Vikings and Lions last met in Week 7 with Detroit coming out on top 31-29 after a 44-yard field goal kicked by Jake Bates with 15 seconds left in the game.
Minnesota is going into Sunday night's matchup on a nine-game winning streak. The Lions have won 13 of their last 14 games, with their only loss in that span coming at the hands of the Buffalo Bills (13-4).
Ford Field will be filled with loud cheers from Lions fans, but there may be more Vikings fans than expected in Downtown Detroit. According to a Sports Illustrated report, the Vikings organization bought around 1,900 tickets on the secondary market and offered them to season ticket holders.
Lions
Detroit activated linebacker Alex Anzalone and receiver/punt returner Kalif Raymond from injured reserve on Saturday. Both are listed as active for Sunday's game.
Running back Craig Reynolds, who has been taking a few more reps in the absence of David Montgomery, is also active after being listed as questionable Friday
Vikings
Minnesota ruled backup edge rusher Patrick Jones out of the game because of a knee injury stemming from a low block by Green Bay tight end Tucker Kraft last week.
Cornerback Fabian Moreau is also out, according to the team.
Kickoff is at 8:20 p.m. ET/ 7:20 p.m. CT.
Watch for live updates below.
'Sunday Night Football' live updates: Vikings face Lions for No. 1 seed in NFC
In what could be considered the biggest game of the 2024-25 NFL season, the Detroit Lions will host the Minnesota Vikings on "Sunday Night Football."
The winner will earn the NFC's top seed, the NFC North title and a first-round bye. Everything is at stake. Buckle up.
NBC News will be with you all night as two of the league's best teams square off.
Date: Jan. 5
Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
How to watch: NBC or stream on Peacock
Will Lions defense be able to slow down Sam Darnold in Week 18? 'NFL GameDay Morning'
NFL Network's Kurt Warner and Gerald McCoy break down will the Detroit Lions defense be able to slow down Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold in Week 18.
