The search goes on for Dan Campbell's first victory in the NFL after the Lions lost yet again to the Chicago Bears in Week 12. Can Detroit finally record its first win of the season against a Minnesota team that is coming off a tough loss to San Francisco? Here's a breakdown of the Vikings vs Lions matchup.
Minnesota Vikings installed as -7 favorites
The Minnesota Vikings had their two-game winning streak snapped in Week 12 with a 34-26 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. The Vikings had no answer for the 49ers' ground game, with San Francisco racking up 208 yards rushing on Sunday.
It is back to the drawing board for the Vikings, who dropped out of the playoff picture because of the loss. They now trail the Green Bay Packers by 3.5 games in the NFC North standings ahead of Week 13.
For Minnesota to get its season back on track against Detroit, it needs to get a quality performance from Kirk Cousins. He completed 20 of 32 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns to Adam Thielen in the loss to the Niners. Cousins also had a costly pick that set up a short scoring drive for the 49ers in the third quarter.
The Vikings will fancy their chances of winning this Sunday as they have fared extremely well against the Lions of late. The Vikings have won their last eight games against the Lions dating back to 2017.
However, they will be without star running back Dalvin Cook in the game against the Lions after he dislocated his shoulder in the loss to San Francisco.
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Detroit Lions enter Week 13 as +7 underdogs
The pressure is mounting on Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell after his side stumbled to yet another loss in Week 12, losing 16-14 to the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving Day. This season, Detroit remains the league's only winless team, with the Lions carrying an abysmal 0-10-1 record.
The Lions came close to ending their 15-game winless skid in Week 12, taking a 14-13 lead over the Bears in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for the Lions, the Bears were able to engineer a scoring drive in the final 8:30 of the contest, with Cairo Santos kicking the game-winning field goal as time expired.
To make matters worse for Detroit, star running back D'Andre Swift suffered a shoulder sprain in the loss to the Bears. He is expected to miss multiple weeks because of that injury, a massive blow to the Lions, who have been reliant on Swift's running game this season. Swift has been outstanding this season, amassing nearly 1,000 total yards and six touchdowns this campaign.
With Swift sidelined, the Lions will rely on Jamaal Williams to lead the game against Minnesota.
Writer's Prediction
Minnesota wins and covers the spread.
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