A strange position again for the purple
The Minnesota Vikings are preparing to host their biggest game of the season so far, as they’ll welcome the Detroit Lions to U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday afternoon with first place in the NFC North on the line. For the second game in a row, they’ll find themselves in the position of favorite.
Our friends from FanDuel have set the opening lines for this week’s NFL action, and they’ve tabbed the Vikings as a 1.5-point favorite over the Lions for Sunday’s contest.
These teams are a combined 9-1 heading into this game, with the Vikings sitting atop the NFC North with a 5-0 mark and the Lions right behind them at 4-1. FanDuel had pulled this game off the board for a bit late yesterday afternoon following the injury to Lions’ superstar edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson and, to be honest, I’m not sure what the line was pre-injury or how much the Hutchinson injury shifted things.
This is just the third of the Vikings’ six games thus far that they’ve been favored in. They were favored over the New York Giants in their regular season opener and then played the underdog role for three weeks. Maybe now they’re gaining a bit of respect from the people who make these sorts of lines.
The line for this one could also change throughout the week depending on the status of Minnesota tight end T.J. Hockenson, who is waiting to make his return from the torn ACL and MCL he suffered against the Lions in Minneapolis last season. The team opened his window for returning from the Physically Unable to Perform List before their game in London and could bring him back for Sunday’s clash at U.S. Bank Stadium.
We’ll be monitoring the betting lines for this one throughout the week to see if or how things shift, but for now the purple enter the week as the betting favorite to run their undefeated streak to start the 2024 season to six games.