Our Official Staff Prediction for Vikings at Lions
The VikingsTerritory collective staff prediction for Vikings at Lions is ready.
Minnesota lost in Week 17 at home versus the Green Bay Packers, 33-10. The loss sunk the Vikings’ playoff math to 3%, and now the purple team must hope for three losses (Packers, Seahawks, and Saints/Buccaneers) to reach the postseason — if it wins at Detroit on Sunday.
Our Official Staff Prediction for Vikings at Lions
This weekend, the Lions will reportedly not rest any starters despite, at worst, being totally locked into the NFC’s No. 3 seed. So, Lions-Vikings should showcase both teams’ starting lineups.
The writers at VikingsTerritory predict the Vikings will lose their 10th game of the season.
Writers mostly chose the Lions, evidently confident the Vikings’ season will end with a whimper, much like the last six weeks.
Here’s how the panel sees the score for Week 18:
Dustin Baker: Lions Win, 28-21
Sean Borman: Lions Win, 31-21
Janik Eckardt: Lions Win, 24-21
Josh Frey: Lions Win, 31-17
Will Goodwin: Lions Win, 34-20
Wes Johnson: Lions Win, 30-20
Kyle Joudry: Lions Win, 31-21
Adam New: Lions Win, 24-10
Nate Powalie: Vikings Win, 27-22
Ted Schwerzler: Vikings Win, 21-18
Ali Siddiqui: Lions Win, 21-17
Cole Smith: Lions Win, 31-16
Mathematically en masse, we predict the Lions will top the Vikings by a score of 27-19.
And 2023 season standings for our writers’ predictions:
Dustin Baker: 9-7
Sean Borman: 9-7
Janik Eckardt: 9-7
Adam New: 9-7
Nate Powalie: 9-7
Ted Schwerzler: 9-7
Cole Smith: 9-7
Josh Frey: 8-8
Will Goodwin: 7-9
Wes Johnson: 7-9
Kyle Joudry: 6-10
Ali Siddiqui: 5-11
Last week, Josh Frey most accurately predicted the Vikings’ outcome. He picked the Vikings to lose by seven, and Minnesota lost by 23.
The Lions are favored to prevail by 3.5 points against the Vikings, and Detroit hasn’t swept Minnesota in a single season since 2016. The Vikings can earn a draft pick as high as 9th by losing to the Lions or choose 15th in April if they win but miss out on the postseason.
Sporting News picked the Lions to defeat the Vikings, and SN’s Bill Bender explained with a 31-21 prediction, “The Lions will have a first-round playoff game no matter what – but there is a chance to move up into the No. 2 seed. Minnesota’s quarterback carousel took a turn for the worse against the Packers. Look for Detroit to create some momentum for the postseason – even if the starters are pulled early. The Lions have covered in four of their last five games.”
The Lions will play either the Los Angeles Rams or Green Bay Packers in the playoffs next weekend — unless the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles lose in Week 18.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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