J.J. McCarthy is slated to make his return as QB1 for the Minnesota Vikings (3-4) as they take the field in Motown Sunday against the Detroit Lions (5-2). The second-year signal-caller has been sidelined since spraining his ankle in Week 2. He will need to shake the rust off in a hurry as Sunday represents as close to a must-win situation as possible for the Vikings who have lost two in a row and three of their last four. As a result, they trail the Lions by 2 games and the first-place Packers by 2.5 games in the NFC North.
The Lions are coming off their bye week. Jared Goff and co. smacked Baker and the Bucs in their last game, 24-9. As one-sided as the game was, it marked the first time since Week 1 that the Lions’ offense failed to clear the 30-point threshold. Jahmyr Gibbs has been a force alongside Goff in the backfield averaging almost 103 yards rushing and receiving per game. The former Bama back feasted on the Vikings last season running for 254 yards, catching passes totaling 75 yards, and scoring six touchdowns in their two meetings.
Where are the advantages in this game? Lets dive in and see what the numbers tell us.
NBC Sports has all the latest info and analysis you need, including how to tune in for kickoff, odds from DraftKings, player news and updates, and of course our predictions and best bets for the game from our staff of experts.
Game Details and How to watch the Vikings at Lions live Sunday
- Date: Sunday, November 2, 2025
- Time: 1:00PM EST
- Site: Ford Field
- City: Detroit, MI
- Network/Streaming: FOX
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Game odds for the Vikings at the Lions
The latest odds as of Sunday courtesy of DraftKings:
- Moneyline: Minnesota Vikings (+390), Detroit Lions (-520)
- Spread: Lions -8.5
- Total: 48.5 points
This game opened at Lions -9.5 with the Game Total set at 48.5.
Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the NFL schedule!
Quarterback Matchup for Minnesota at Detroit
- Vikings Starting QB: J.J. McCarthy
Last Game: 9/14 vs. Atlanta - 11-21, 158yds, 0 TDs, 2 INTs, Sacked 6 times, 5 carries for 25yds rushing
Season: 2GP, 24-41, 301yds, 2 TDs, 3 INTs, Sacked 9 times, 7 carries for 50yds rushing - Lions Starting QB: Jared Goff
Last Game: 10/20 vs. Tampa Bay - 20-29, 241yds, 1 TD, 1 INT, Sacked 4 times, 2 carries for 7ds rushing
Season: 7GP, 152-203, 1631yds, 15 TDs, 3 INTs, Sacked 13 times, 11 carries for 23yds rushing
Vikings at Lions team stats, betting trends
- The Vikings have lost 4 of their last 5 games against teams with winning records
- Detroit is 5-2 ATS this season
- Minnesota is 3-4 ATS this season
- The Game Total OVER has cashed in 6 of the Vikings’ 7 games
- The Game Total OVER has cashed in 3 of the Lions’ 7 games
Vikings Player Injuries
- QB J.J. McCarthy (ankle) is questionable for Sunday’s game
- FB C.J. Ham (hand) is questionable for Sunday’s game
- RT Brian O’Neill (knee) is questionable for Sunday’s game
- LB Andrew Van Ginkel (neck) is questionable for Sunday’s game
- TE Josh Oliver (foot) is doubtful for Sunday’s game
- LT Christian Darrisaw (knee) is questionable for Sunday’s game
- CB Jeff Okudah (undisclosed) is questionable for Sunday’s game
- QB Carson Wentz (shoulder) has been placed on IR and is OUT for Sunday’s game
Lions Player Injuries
- RB Sinoe Vaki (groin) is questionable for Sunday’s game
- CB Avonte Maddox (hamstring) is questionable for Sunday’s game
- RB Craig Reynolds (hamstring) is questionable for Sunday’s game
- G Miles Frazier (undisclosed) has been declared OUT for Sunday’s game
- CB Terrion Arnold (shoulder) is questionable for Sunday’s game
- S Kerby Joseph (undisclosed) is questionable for Sunday’s game
- CB Rock Ya-Sin (undisclosed) is questionable for Sunday’s game
Rotoworld Best Bets
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Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper): Detroit Lions -9½ (-104)
Biggest side of the week for me as I cannot square the market’s lukewarm opinion of an outstanding Lions team facing a question mark of a quarterback behind a make-shift offensive line. Fair should be on the other side of 10 in my opinion.
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NFL calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, stadium information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Best bets our model is projecting for this week’s game between the Vikings and the Lions:
- Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
- Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Detroit Lions at -8.5.
- Total: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 48.5.
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