The Detroit Lions will spend the next three weeks of the regular season getting to know the Minnesota Vikings. Dan Campbell’s team will, in fact, have the opportunity to play its divisional foe twice in that time frame. The first meeting between the two NFC North clubs is scheduled for this Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium. According to SI Sportsbook, the Lions are currently 3.5-point favorites in the Week 16 road game.
The Lions are 10-4 and have a three-game lead over the Vikings (7-7) in the NFC North. So, if the Lions beat the Vikings on Sunday, they would win the division title for the first time since 1993. The division was still known as the NFC Central at the time. Detroit is coming off a 42-17 win over the Denver Broncos at Ford Field. In the aforementioned primetime game, Campbell outplayed his former boss in New Orleans, Sean Payton, and Jared Goff tied a career high with five touchdown passes.
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Meanwhile, the Vikings, who had won six of their previous eight games entering last week, were defeated by the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15. Minnesota, who led 17-3 entering the fourth quarter, was defeated in overtime by the Bengals, 27-24.
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In Cincinnati, career backup quarterback Nick Mullens made his first start of the season. He then finished 26-of-33 passes for 303 yards and two touchdowns. In the losing effort, he also threw two interceptions. Mullens will also start at quarterback against the Lions on Christmas Eve, according to Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell. “The biggest thing is Nick showed he can execute our offense and really move the football team,” O’Connell said of Mullens on Sunday. “I think what we’ve got to continue to work through are those plays where we don’t try to do too much.”
The game against Minnesota in Week 16 is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
