A week ago, not a single pundit predicted a Vikings win, only to see Minnesota run past Green Bay for a 28-22 road win.
With the Lions coming to town in Week 9, the national experts have reversed course and are riding high on the Vikings.
Can Minnesota win back-to-back games for the first time in 2020?
Let's see who the experts are picking to win the game:
Vikings 27, Lions 24 — Gregg Rosenthal, NFL.com
The Vikings and Lions are similar this season, two teams stuck in the NFL's middle that could easily have better records. I give the Vikings the edge on Sunday largely because of who's available. Dalvin Cook is a tackle-breaking testament to a few running backs mattering, with coordinator Gary Kubiak's zone-blocking concepts taking off when he's in the lineup. Kenny Golladay, meanwhile, is Detroit's offensive Jenga piece. The Lions' erratic attack isn't explosive enough without Golladay on the field and he's expected to miss this game with a hip injury, per NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport. Matthew Stafford was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Wednesday after having a high-risk close contact with a non-team person earlier this week, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. He could be eligible to play on Sunday if his tests come back negative in the days ahead and he remains asymptomatic. I was picking the Vikings to win either way, but the score projection could change depending on Stafford's status.
View photos of the Vikings preparing to take on the Lions during practice at TCO Performance Center.
Vikings 28, Lions 23 — Pete Prisco, CBS Sports
The Vikings won at Green Bay last week by doing it the old-fashioned way: pounding the football. They will try and do that here with Dalvin Cook and should be able to run it. The concern is the Minnesota defense. But I think they showed some improvement last week that will carry over here. Vikings win another.
Vikings 30, Lions 24 — Bill Bender, Sporting News
Dalvin Cook put on a show against the Packers, and the Vikings have won the last [five] meetings with Detroit. Kirk Cousins is 4-0 against Detroit since coming to Minnesota, and [he's averaged] 250 passing yards with nine total TDs and one interception in those games. Stay with the track record.
Vikings 30, Lions 20 — Michael David Smith, Pro Football Talk
It may be too late for the Vikings to get into playoff contention, but they were impressive against the Packers and they're going to be a better team over the second half of the season.
Look back at photos over the course of time featuring games between the Vikings and the Lions.
An image from the Nov. 23, 2017 regular season away game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 30-23.
An image from the Nov. 23, 2017 regular season away game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 30-23.
An image from the Nov. 23, 2017 regular season away game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 30-23.
An image from the Nov. 23, 2017 regular season away game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 30-23.
An image from the Nov. 23, 2017 regular season away game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 30-23.
An image from the Nov. 23, 2017 regular season away game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 30-23.
An image from the Nov. 23, 2017 regular season away game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 30-23.
An image from the Nov. 23, 2017 regular season away game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 30-23.
An image from November 4, 2018 regular season home game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 24-9.
An image from November 4, 2018 regular season home game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 24-9.
An image from November 4, 2018 regular season home game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 24-9.
An image from November 4, 2018 regular season home game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 24-9.
An image from November 4, 2018 regular season home game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 24-9.
An image from November 4, 2018 regular season home game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 24-9.
An image from November 4, 2018 regular season home game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 24-9.
An image from November 4, 2018 regular season home game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 24-9.
An image from November 4, 2018 regular season home game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 24-9.
An image from November 4, 2018 regular season home game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 24-9.
An image from November 4, 2018 regular season home game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 24-9.
An image from November 4, 2018 regular season home game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 24-9.
An image from November 4, 2018 regular season home game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 24-9.
An image from December 23, 2018 regular season away game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 27-9.
An image from December 23, 2018 regular season away game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 27-9.
An image from December 23, 2018 regular season away game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 27-9.
An image from December 23, 2018 regular season away game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 27-9.
An image from December 23, 2018 regular season away game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 27-9.
An image from December 23, 2018 regular season away game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 27-9.
An image from December 23, 2018 regular season away game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 27-9.
An image from December 23, 2018 regular season away game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 27-9.
An image from December 23, 2018 regular season away game against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings won 27-9.
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Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions January 07, 2023 Ford Field, Detroit, MI
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Vikings 31, Lions 21 — Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk
The winner keeps slim playoff hopes alive. The loser starts looking toward 2021.
Pre-game win probabilities: Vikings 72% — FiveThirtyEight.com
8 of 8 experts pick the Vikings, CBS Sports
6 of 7 experts pick the Vikings, USA TODAY Sports
5 of 6 experts pick the Vikings, The MMQB
10 of 10 experts pick the Vikings, ESPN
