Week 9 Picks

SN Steele's Picks (Detroit Lions (3-4) at Minnesota Vikings (4-3-1):  Sunday night’s loss to the Saints at home was a microcosm of the Vikings’ season: exciting, statistically proficient, good to very good at times, but nothing close to as great as expected going into the season. Beating the so-so Lions would reinforce that; so would losing to them. Kirk Cousins and Matthew Stafford, entering the league and getting their massive contracts at different times, are looking more like two peas in a pod every week.  Prediction: Lions, 33-30):  http://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/week-9-nfl-picks-predictions-rams-saints-lions-vikings-chargers-seahawks/1lbs6a62zn8wr1r6f1ka7ng50e

Freep Picks (Vikings 28, Lions 17; Vikings 31, Lions 20; Lions 16, Vikings 13; Vikings 23, Lions 17):   https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2018/11/03/detroit-lions-minnesota-vikings-predictions/1861882002/

SN Iyer's Picks (Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings (-5): The Vikings need to pick up the pieces after unraveling against the Saints, and Kirk Cousins will be up to the task with more support from the running game and receivers Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. The Lions will see Kerryon Johnson cool off, and Matthew Stafford will not be able to light it up well enough on road.  PICK: Vikings win 31-23 and cover the spread.):  http://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/week-9-nfl-picks-predictions-point-spreads-odds-lines-patriots-packers-steelers-ravens/huqiotqatgs11o80gl8wywuuj

NFL.com's Picks (Minnesota Vikings 27, Detroit Lions 16: The Lions are not tanking. Yes, they just suffered an ugly home loss to Seattle. And yes, in the wake of said loss, they traded Golden Tate. But they also traded for "Snacks" Harrison. And the Tate deal -- which netted Detroit a third-round pick -- felt like the kind of purely financial, big-picture move that's common in the NFL's salary-cap era. That said, it's OK to wonder where the spark on this offense will come from -- always thought of Tate as the igniter for this team. For the Lions to win in Minnesota -- and not to sound like a broken Motown 33 here -- they should get their running backs more involved. The lack of usage at times is mind-boggling. What the heck happened with Kerryon Johnson last week? One week after the rookie's 158-yard effort in Miami, the Lions barely ran him. Detroit's defense is suspect. Kirk Cousins will eat Lions defenders alive if they don't get down time, and perhaps fewer possessions to contain the Vikes' offense. Prediction: Adam Thielen passes the 100-yard mark again, on his last catch of the day. More important: Minnesota will be running Dalvin Cook on Sunday. We hope.):   http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000983218/article/nfl-week-9-game-picks-rams-lose-first-game-pats-top-packers

CBS Priso Picks (Lions at Vikings (-4.5):  Neither of these teams looked good last week in losing. The Vikings haven't looked as good as expected on defense, but I think that will change here. The Lions have no offensive identity and the Vikings will take advantage of that. Look for Minnesota to get back on track.  Pick: Vikings 24, Lions 16):   https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/pete-priscos-week-9-picks-back-the-saints-at-home-against-unbeaten-rams-patriots-outlast-packers/

CBS Breech's Picks (Vikings 27-24 over Lions):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-week-9-picks-saints-stun-undefeated-rams-packers-top-patriots-in-thriller/

CBS Wilson's Picks (Detroit at Minnesota: Which Lions team will show up in Minnesota? The one that beat the Patriots and Packers? Or the one that lost to the Jets and 49ers? It's impossible to trust this team for that reason and the defense, which was supposed to improve under Matt Patricia, is one of the league's worst. The Vikings (4-3-1), who are just a half-game behind the Bears atop the division and had their chances against the Saints on Sunday, are a much more consistent team. No, the defense isn't as good as it was a season ago, and yes, the offensive line needs to play better, but Kirk Cousins has proven he's worth the $84 million contract and Adam Thielen has already made a convincing case that he's the NFL's best wideout.  Pick:  Vikings 34, Lions 24):   https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/week-9-nfl-odds-picks-saints-give-rams-first-loss-packers-get-past-patriots-steelers-beat-ravens/

Walterfootball Picks (Week 9 NFL Pick: Vikings 27, Lions 20):  http://walterfootball.com/nflpicks2018_09early.php

NFL RealGM's Picks (Detroit at Minnesota (-5): This is one of those betting lines and moves I do not understand. On Monday morning, this game featured the Vikings as 6 or 6.5-point favorites at home over a Lions team which came out flat and got embarrassed at home by Seattle in Week 8. The line here is down to 5 but can be found at 4.5 in several books. In the meantime, Detroit dealt away leading receiver Golden Tate while the Vikings OL got healthier. Somehow that has improved the Lions odds, he says skeptically. He also says, as someone who covers the Lions on a daily basis, this Lions team is capable of any outcome on any given weekend. This is a team that beat the hell out of New England and waxed Aaron Rodgers and the Packers but is the only team to lose to the 49ers and got blown out by the Jets. He knows this and opts to back away from the betting trap. There is no reason Kirk Cousins and the Vikings shouldn’t win by at least 10, but this Lions season defies reason.  Vikings 30, Lions 24):   https://football.realgm.com/analysis/3090/Football-Meteorology-NFL-Picks-For-Week-9

PFT’s Week Nine picks (Lions at Vikings - MDS’s take: The Lions signaled by trading Golden Tate that they don’t think they’re NFC North contenders. They’ll confirm that on Sunday.  MDS’s pick: Vikings 30, Lions 17.  Florio’s take: The Lions are 2-0 in U.S. Bank Stadium. They won’t extend that streak to three.  Florio’s pick: Vikings 31, Lions 21.):  https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/11/01/pfts-week-nine-picks-6/

Detroit News predictions: Lions vs. Vikings (Vikings, 27-17; Vikings, 31-21; Vikings, 23-20):   https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2018/11/02/detroit-news-predictions-detroit-lions-vs-minnesota-vikings/1858673002/

ESPN Picks (All 11 pick the Vikings to win):  http://www.espn.com/nfl/picks

CBS Picks (All 8 pick the Vikings to win):   https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/features/writers/expert/picks/straight-up/9

SI Picks (All 7 pick the Vikings to win):   https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/expert-game-picks-football-sports-illustrated-mmqb-staff

USA Today Picks (All 5 pick the Vikings to win):   https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2018/11/01/usa-today-week-9-nfl-picks-rodgers-brady-rams-saints/1844372002/

Average Prediction (467-346/17):  Vikings win 30-25.  43 experts pick the Vikings to win.  2 experts pick the Lions to win.