A pair of NFC North division rivals will battle each other in week 18 of the NFL season when the Minnesota Vikings travel to Detroit, Michigan to face the Detroit Lions at Ford Field with the game kicking off at 1:00 PM ET on Sunday afternoon and air on Fox.

The Minnesota Vikings can still make the playoffs, however, they have to defeat the Lions and have the Packers, Seahawks, and either the Saints or Buccaneers lose in week 18 to clinch a spot in the playoffs as they enter this game with a record of 7-9 and are on a two-game losing streak following a 10-33 loss at home against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night in week 17 of the NFL season. 

Minnesota has been one of the better defensive teams in the league this season as they enter this game allowing an average of 20.75 points per game which ranks 12^th in the NFL. However, they have been one of the lowest-scoring teams in the NFL as they enter this game averaging 20.25 points per game which ranks 22^nd in the league. The Vikings have not looked great on offense over the previous six games as they are averaging 15.17 points per game during that stretch. The Minnesota Vikings will look to end their three-game losing streak when they travel to face the Detroit Lions.

Detroit enters this game having won the NFC North and at worst will be the 3 seed in the NFC in the playoffs as they enter this game with a record of 11-5 and have won three of their last five games, however, they are coming off a 19-20 loss on the road against the Dallas Cowboys in week 17 of the NFL season. The Lions have been one of the highest-scoring teams in the NFL this season as they enter this game averaging 26.94 points per game while also having the 4^th best rushing offense as they enter this matchup averaging 140.06 rushing yards per game. The Lions have a chance to have two 1,000-yard running backs this season as David Montgomery enters this game with 975 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns while Jahmyr Gibbs enters this game with 915 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. 

However, Detroit has not been as good on defense and their secondary could cost them a chance to win the Super Bowl as they enter this game allowing an average of 23.44 points per game while allowing the 8^th most passing yards per game with an average of 240.38 passing yards per game. The Detroit Lions will look to bounce back following the loss against the Cowboys when they host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday afternoon in week 18 of the NFL season.

BookMaker has the Detroit Lions listed as 3.5-point favorites at home against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday afternoon in week 18 of the NFL season. Minnesota has won seven of the last ten while Detroit has won two of the last three meetings. The Lions are 6-4 ATS in the last ten and have covered the spread in six straight games in the series. The Minnesota Vikings are 7-6-3 ATS overall, 5-0-3 ATS on the road, 4-2-2 ATS as an underdog, and 2-3 ATS in division games this season while the Detroit Lions are 11-5 ATS overall, 4-3 ATS at home, 9-4 ATS as a favorite, and 2-3 ATS in division games on the year.

Detroit has been the better team this season and most recently in the series, winning two of the last three meetings. The Lions are 6-4 ATS in the last ten and have covered the spread in six straight games in the series while also having been the better team at covering the spread this season with a record of 11-5 ATS overall while the Vikings are 7-6-3 ATS overall. As a result, I am buying the .5 point and laying the points with the Detroit Lions when they host the Minnesota Vikings in week 18 of the NFL season.