The Vikings are the right side in this game, though I'm taking it here at the worst number of the week. Why? Because the Lions recently have been a far worse team away from home with the Vikings being undervalued in the market after the beating they took at the hands of the Eagles (a game in which they entered overvalued). You can bet Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson have been working on their connection all week, and if Detroit does struggle rushing Cousins as its absences would make it appear, he could have all day to let Jefferson break from coverage and take it to the house. If you can get -6 and -115 or -120, even better.

The Vikings are never as bad or as good as they last appeared. In other words, this club is certainly better than the lifeless group that succumbed to Philadelphia amid a Kirk Cousins meltdown Monday night. But they're also not as good as they looked in Week 1 against Green Bay and that expectation is built into this line. The Lions can't stop anybody but they can score and I don't see the Vikings running away with this one.

A new team that surges to new expectations should not knock down its opponent. This is the case with Philadelphia crushing Minnesota in Week 2. The Vikings will move forward and face a divisional opponent for the second time in three weeks. I expect Minnesota to execute its game plan much more fluidly than it did against Green Bay in Week 1. Take the Vikings as Detroit sustains its first ATS loss of the season.

My projections have the Vikings winning by around 10 points, covering the spread in almost 60 percent of simulations. Minnesota has a ton of talent on the offensive side, and QB Kirk Cousins won’t wilt under the bright lights in this afternoon matchup like he did against the Eagles on Monday night. The Lions are dealing with some key injuries, particularly on the defensive line. Add that to the fact that the Vikings are playing at home, and they should rebound against Detroit.

Lions defensive lineman John Cominsky, who leads the team with 10 pressures, underwent wrist surgery and is out Sunday. No. 1 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson (three sacks) is dealing with a thigh injury that kept him out of practice Wednesday and Thursday; if he plays, he might be limited. We all know Kirk Cousins is terrible when pressured, and terrible in primetime. This is a 1 p.m. Sunday game in which the Lions could be down their top two pass rushers. While the Lions' offense has sizzled, they haven't played a road game yet. Former SportsLine expert Adam Thompson points out the Lions are 0-7 in Jared Goff's road starts, never scoring more than 19 points. Look for Minnesota to bounce back from its Monday night debacle in Philadelphia.

Minnesota really got away from the run game last week vs Philadelphia. That can't happen this week vs the Lions. Unfortunately, the Lions may be who decides what the Vikings can or cannot do up front, as they are ferocious along the line of scrimmage. Right now, Detroit is operating with great balance and playing with a ton of energy. So much so that six points seems like way too many in a division game.