Missed the best line on the Vikings, but I love the way Minnesota has responded to some early-season anxiety about its offense. Kirk Cousins is trusting his receivers, which is allowing Dalvin Cook to do his thing on the ground and prove he's one of the best running backs in the league. Matthew Stafford has been slinging it for the Lions, too, but I like the Vikings' defense to hold off the Lions just enough to give Minny a field-goal victory.

The Vikings are set up well to go to Detroit and get the win. Their offense can run on the Lions, who rank 28th in yards per attempt allowed. The Vikings perform well defensively no matter which way you look at it, ranking fifth in net yards per pass attempt and eighth in yards per rush, to go along with ranking sixth in points per drive. The Vikings have also scored 28 points in four of their six games while not allowing more than 21 points in any game. With the Lions dealing with injury issues on defense, and with the team likely still thinking about the Monday night robbery, I like the Vikings to take it here.

Minnesota is 25-16-2 to the Under on the road with Mike Zimmer on coach, and since both these teams are better on defense than offense, I think that trend comes through in this game. The Vikings can run on a Lions defense that's 28th in yards per rush attempt, while the Vikings have a well-balanced defense that hasn't given up more than 21 points in a game this year and ranks sixth in points per drive allowed. The Lions offense didn't look great last week after hitting a couple big passes early, and this sets up for another poor performance for them.

The Lions move the ball up and down the field but can't get into the end zone. Minnesota is fourth in the league in yards per play allowed, and the Vikings have only given up one rushing touchdown. The Lions just got gashed on the ground by Green Bay, and I like Dalvin Cook to do the same. Minnesota has rolled up 937 yards the past two games, and has beaten Detroit three straight times. Take the Vikings.

The Vikings come in with wins in their past two games and finally opened up the passing game last week against the Eagles. That should give the Lions a lot more to think about this week while making the already solid Vikings running game even better. The Vikings have won and covered the last three meetings with the Lions, and I don’t see them starting 0-3 in divisional play. The Vikings get the cover and win.