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Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions NFL Spread & Picks

Written by Jimmy Boyd on September 15, 2009

vikes lions 91509 The Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions face off at Ford Field in the Motor City this Sunday in a Week 2 NFC North showdown. The Lions’ losing streak extended to 18 games with their 27-45 loss to the Saints in Week 1. Meanwhile, the Vikings began their 2009 campaign with a 34-20 win over Cleveland. The Vikings may not have been a playoff team last season if they weren’t able to get past the Lions in Week 14. Tarvaris Jackson relieved Gus Frerotte to lead the Vikes to a 20-16 victory. Minnesota has completely dominated this series, having won 13 of the last 14 meetings, and it holds a 63-30-2 advantage in the all-time series. While the straight up stats are not in Detroit’s favor, the against the spread numbers are. Detroit is 5-1-1 against the spread in its last seven home openers and the Vikings are 3-8-1 against the spread in division play the past two seasons. NFL lines makers have listed the Minnesota Vikings as 9.5-point favorites with the total set at 47.

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The Vikings were two touchdowns better than the Browns on the road last week for an easy cover behind star running back Adrian Peterson, who rushed for 180 yards and three scores. Peterson will continue to be the focal point of the Viking offense until teams show that they can stop him. Brett Favre won his first start as a Viking, but his roll was much different than we are used to seeing. The legendary quarterback is known for his fearlessness in the passing game, but he went along with the game plan and just managed Minnesota’s run-heavy attack. Favre took a back seat in Game 1, but this is a guy with a tremendous amount of confidence, a.k.a. big ego, and that causes me to wonder how much longer he will be satisfied with handing the ball off to Peterson. In this matchup against a team the Vikings should beat, don’t be surprised if Favre looks to make a few more plays. It is worth noting that the Lions are 1-7 against the spread in their last eight games as a home underdog. If you think Minnesota rolls in this one, bet the Vikings at -9.5 at BetUS.

While Detroit went 0-16 last season, it was not without its opportunities to get a win or two. In fact, the Lions played Minnesota tough as nails, losing twice to the Vikings by only six points combined. Playing the Vikings so tough last season should give the Lions a great deal of confidence heading into this one, and wide receiver Calvin Johnson should be the most confident of all. Johnson torched the Vikings for 169 receiving yards and two touchdowns against them last season. Based on their Week 1 performance it appears that the Lions will be a better offensive football team, but how they play defensively is going to determine if they can challenge the Vikings this week. The Lions defense was dominated by the Saints in Week 1, allowing 515 yards of offense. Head coach Jim Schwartz is a defensive guru and one would think he’ll be able to come up with a better game plan this week. It is worth noting that the Vikings are 2-10 against the spread in their last 12 games following a straight up win. If you think Detroit can take the Vikings down to the wire again this season, bet the Lions at +9.5 at BetUS.

*Note: Last Sunday Jimmy Boyd crushed the books with a 3-1 NFL card and brings a 9-5 (64.3%) NFL run into this week’s action. Make sure you consult Jimmy’s expert football picks for another big week in the black on the pro football gridiron.

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