Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions Betting Odds, Analysis, NFL Pick

The Detroit Lions will be looking to claim sole possession of first place in the NFC North when they play host to the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday afternoon.

The Lions extended their current straight-up and against-the-spread win streak on home turf to four games last week with a 26-19 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars as 5.5-point chalk. Detroit's hot streak has helped make it a betting favorite in consecutive games for the first time this season.

The Vikings halted a four-game slide with last week's 30-24 win over the Arizona Cardinals as narrow one-point home chalk. However, Minnesota is winless SU and ATS in its last three games on the road, including a pair of outright losses while favored.

Point spread: The Lions opened as 2.5-point favorites; the total was 42 early in the week, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. (Line updates and matchup report)

NFL pick, via Odds Shark computer: 25.4-17.4 Lions (NFL picks on every game)

Why the Vikings can cover the spread

While the Vikings have struggled to find the win column over the past month, they continue to play strong defense. Minnesota held the Cardinals to just 290 total yards in last week's win and has now held opponents to 311 or fewer total yards in three of its past five games.

Minnesota has consistently paid out at the sportsbooks while pegged as an underdog of 2.5 or fewer points. The Vikings are 9-2 SU and ATS over their past 11 such outings, including five road victories.

Conversely, the Lions have struggled recently as home favorites in matchups with divisional rivals. Detroit is winless SU in its past two games against NFC North teams and has failed to cover in four straight.

Why the Lions can cover the spread

The Lions have played stingy defense during their recent rise up the standings, holding opponents to just 18 points per game over their past four outings. That has also pushed the point total under in four straight for bettors.

Detroit has regularly rewarded bettors in Thursday games, covering in four of its past five. The Lions also face a Minnesota squad that is a dismal 2-8 SU in its last 10 games against teams with winning records.

The Vikings offense has sputtered in three straight road losses, averaging just 13.3 points per game. The Minnesota ground game has been particularly anemic, scoring just one total rushing touchdown while averaging just 65.7 ground yards in those contests.

Smart pick

The Lions have emerged as a dominant force at home, winning seven of nine, both SU and ATS. The Vikings escaped a fifth straight loss last week largely on the strength of a pair of Arizona mistakes. Sitting with a 57.9 percent chance to make the playoffs according to PredictionMachine.com, look for Detroit to improve those odds and take over top spot in the division with a clear SU and ATS victory against Minnesota.

Betting trends

The Vikings are 3-1 ATS in their last four games against the Lions.

The total has gone over in five of the Lions' last seven games as home favorites.

The Lions are 4-1 ATS in their last five games on a Thursday.

All NFL betting lines and point spreads data courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line movement updates and Odds Shark YouTube for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.