Thursday, November 24, 2016

Ford Field

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The Minnesota Vikings take on the Detroit Lions on Thursday, November 24, 2016 at Ford Field. The opening line for this game has Detroit as 2.5 point favorites and the over/under was set at 42. The Vikings are 6-4-0 against the spread and their over/under record is 4-6-0. The Lions have an over/under record of 4-6-0 and they are 6-4-0 against the spread.

Sam Bradford finished with 169 yards through the air for Minnesota last week. He completed 20 passes out of 28 attempts for a 71% completion percentage. The Vikings were led in rushing by Jerick McKinnon, who finished with 44 yards on 16 rushes. He ended the contest with an average of 3 yards per carry. Adam Thielen was the team leader in receiving with a total of 65 yards and 5 receptions. He finished the game with an average of 13 yards per reception. As a team in that game Minnesota got a total of 16 first downs. Of those first downs, 4 came on the ground while 7 came through the air. They ran 54 total plays for 217 yards for the game. The Vikings ran for 72 yards on 24 attempts.

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Matthew Stafford finished with 278 yards passing for Detroit last week. He went 24 for 33, resulting in a 73% completion percentage. The Lions were led on the ground by Theo Riddick, who finished with 13 yards on 4 carries. He ended the game with an average of 3 yards per rush. Eric Ebron led the team in receiving with 70 yards and 3 catches. He finished the game with an average of 23 yards per reception. Detroit had 14 first downs total. 1 came from running the ball and 12 came from a pass. They ran 57 total plays for 277 yards for the contest. The Lions ran for 14 yards on 21 carries as a team.

Minnesota scores 21 points per game on offense this season, which ranks 22nd in the NFL. In the passing department, they average 24 passes on 34 attempts for a 71% completion percentage this season. They throw for a total of 224 yards per game through the air as well, which ranks them 24th in the league. The Vikings run for an average of 70 yards per game on 26 attempts for an average of 2.7 yards per carry. That ranks them 32nd in the league. They also run 63 plays per contest and average 4.7 yards per play for an average of 294 yards per game, ranking their offense 32nd overall this season. The Vikings average 18 first downs per game which ranks them 25th in the NFL. They accumulate 58 penalty yards per game via 6.7 penalties, which ranks 25th in the league.

Minnesota allows 206 passing yards per game, ranking 3rd, and they allow 18 points per contest on defense, which ranks 2nd. They give up 21 completions on 37 attempts per game for a completion percentage of 57%. The Vikings allow 101 rushing yards per game on 24 carries for an average of 4.2 yards per carry, which ranks their rush defense 13th in the NFL. Minnesota allows 307 total yards per game including 4.8 yards per play, which ranks their overall defense 3rd in terms of yards per game. They get flagged for 5.7 penalties for 49.2 yards per game, ranking them 2nd among NFL teams.

Detroit averages 23 points per game this season on offense, which ranks them 17th in the league. In the passing department, they complete 24 passes per game on 35 attempts for a 69% completion percentage. They throw for 252 yards through the air per game, ranking them 16th. The Lions run for an average of 80 yards per game on 22 attempts for an average of 3.6 yards per carry this season, which ranks them 30th on the ground. They also run 59 plays per game and average 5.6 yards per play for a total of 332 yards per game, ranking them 25th in the league on offense. The Lions get an average of 20 first downs per game, which ranks 20th. They average 64.4 penalty yards per game via 7.1 penalties, ranking them 14th in the NFL.

Detroit allows an average of 254 passing yards per game, which ranks 17th in the league. Their defense overall allows 23 points per contest, which has them ranked 16th. They give up 25 completions on 35 attempts for a completion percentage of 71% per game. The Lions allow 105 rushing yards per contest on 25 carries for a 4.2 average per rush, ranking their overall rush defense 18th in the NFL. Detroit allows 358 total yards per game for an average of 5.8 yards per play, which ranks 19th in the league. They force 7.3 penalties for 54.9 yards in each contest, ranking 17th.

Minnesota Betting Trends

Minnesota is 4-6-0 against the over/under this season

Minnesota has an ATS record of 6-4-0 this season

Detroit Betting Trends

Detroit is 4-6-0 against the over/under this season

Detroit has an ATS record of 6-4-0 this season

Injuries to Watch

Minnesota

11/16/16 T Jake Long Achilles IR
10/11/16 OT Andre Smith Elbow IR
09/23/16 DT Sharrif Floyd Knee out indefinitely
09/21/16 T Matt Kalil Hip IR
09/19/16 RB Adrian Peterson Knee IR
08/31/16 T Mike Harris Undisclosed PUP
08/30/16 QB Teddy Bridgewater Knee IR
08/11/16 QB Taylor Heinicke Foot out indefinitely

Detroit

11/22/16 RB Theo Riddick Finger injured last game, probable Thursday vs. Minnesota
11/20/16 TE Brandon Pettigrew Knee "?" Thursday vs. Minnesota
11/02/16 DE Armonty Bryant Suspension expected to miss 3 games
11/02/16 TE Cole Wick Knee IR
10/13/16 LB DeAndre Levy Quad out indefinitely
09/21/16 RB Ameer Abdullah Foot IR
09/02/16 LS Jimmy Landes Shoulder IR
09/02/16 LB Jon Bostic Foot IR
08/31/16 TE Timothy Wright ACL IR

Guy's Pick: Take Detroit -2.5

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