Everything is at stake for Week 18’s Sunday Night Football battle. The Minnesota Vikings head to the Motor City to face the Detroit Lions in a matchup that secures the number one seed in the NFC.
Let’s get into my four Lions vs. Vikings props for Sunday.
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Lions vs. Vikings Player Props
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Sam Darnold Over 34.5 Pass Attempts (-125)” subtext=”” center=”false” logo1url=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nfl/100/min.png” link1=”” link1follow=”true” logo2url=”” link2=”” link2follow=”true” trailinglogourl=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/256064_caesars_800x200.png” trailinglink=”https://www.actionnetwork.com/online-sports-betting/reviews/caesars-sportsbook” trailinglinkfollow=”true”][/subheader]
It’s been a hugely impressive season for Sam Darnold, who started as a backup and is now on the cusp of leading his team to being the #1 seed in the NFC.
We’re taking the former third overall pick in 2018 to hit the Over on his Passing Attempts line of 34.5 for a variety of reasons. Firstly, the Vikings are underdogs and with the top seed on the line, this game could well become a shootout.
We also need to consider that the Lions have given up the second most passing yards per game in the NFL this season while giving the third least against the run. If you’re the Vikings, then it makes sense to put your faith in Darnold’s arm rather than try to take on that fearsome rush defense with Aaron Jones.
Finally, we need to consider that Darnold has had Over 34.5 passing attempts in his past three games, with the team leaning on the current favorite for the Comeback Player of the Year award.
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Jared Goff Over 282.5 Passing Yards (-110)” subtext=”” center=”false” logo1url=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nfl/100/det.png” link1=”” link1follow=”true” logo2url=”” link2=”” link2follow=”true” trailinglogourl=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/859377_Bet365@1x.png” trailinglink=”https://www.actionnetwork.com/online-sports-betting/reviews/bet365″ trailinglinkfollow=”true”][/subheader]
The Lions may have given up the second most passing yards in the NFL, but the Vikings aren’t far behind, giving up the fifth most in the NFL, with an average of 243.6 per game.
That is someway under Goff’s passing yard total of 282.5, but we’ll take the former Ram to cover. He’s averaged 274.8 per game this season and it wouldn’t be a shock to see that increase slightly if this is a shootout as expected.
It’s also worth noting that since David Montgomery went down in the Week 15 game against the Bills, the team has had to pass more despite Jahmyr Gibbs seeing his workload increase.
Goff has exceeded 300 yards in each of his past three games, two without Montgomery and the game in which he got injured. In those three games, he’s averaged a huge 377.6 passing yards.
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Jared Goff Over 0.5 Interceptions (+108)” subtext=”” center=”false” logo1url=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nfl/100/det.png” link1=”” link1follow=”true” logo2url=”” link2=”” link2follow=”true” trailinglogourl=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/256064_caesars_800x200.png” trailinglink=”https://www.actionnetwork.com/online-sports-betting/reviews/caesars-sportsbook” trailinglinkfollow=”true”][/subheader]
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Vikings Defense Anytime Touchdown (+700)” subtext=”” center=”false” logo1url=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nfl/100/min.png” link1=”” link1follow=”true” logo2url=”” link2=”” link2follow=”true” trailinglogourl=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/256064_caesars_800x200.png” trailinglink=”https://www.actionnetwork.com/online-sports-betting/reviews/caesars-sportsbook” trailinglinkfollow=”true”][/subheader]
This is projected to be a close game and given its importance, we’re going to see both teams show nerves and potentially make some bad decisions. Jared Goff has generally been pretty good at protecting the football this season with just 10 interceptions, of which five came in a single game against the Texans.
However, this Vikings’ defense is tied for the most takeaways in the NFL with 31 and has more interceptions than anybody, with 22 in just 17 games. When it comes to snagging picks, there’s nobody close to the Vikings this season.
Given how well Brian Flores has done with this defense this season, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Jared Goff get picked off. It’s a unit that is elite at doing that, and we’re going to double down by taking a big +700 price on a defensive touchdown with the potential for a pick-six.
[expertpickswidget league=”nfl” gameid=”228635″ date=”20250105″ week=”” seasontype=””][/expertpickswidget]
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