A look at our staff's expert picks for the Week 16 game between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings.
The Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings meet in a massive NFC North contest on Sunday afternoon. These are the only two teams still mathematically eligible to win the division, but the Lions are clearly in driver's season. With a three-game lead and only three games remaining, the only way the Lions can lose in the division is if they lose all remaining games and the Vikings win all remaining games.
But there's a catch: two of the remaining three games are against each other. What was initially a strange scheduling oddity has now become an intriguing development in the division race. A win against the Vikings gives them a very realistic shot at the division – especially considering the Lions' other game is against a good Cowboys team and Minnesota's third game is against a struggling Packers team.
So will the Lions be able to avoid the drama of the final three weeks of the season and win the division on Sunday afternoon? Or will weeks 17 and 18 be about top-class football?
Here's a look at our Lions vs. Vikings picks.
Brandon Knapp (12-2): 27-20 lions
Ryan Mathews (11-3): 21-17 Vikings
Jerry Mallory (10-3): 23-20 lions
Alex Reno (10-4): 20-17 lions
Kellie Rowe (10-4): 31-20 lions
Meko Scott (10-4): 24-17 Lions
Jeremy Reisman (10-4): 27-24 Lions (paper preview)
Morgan Cannon (9-5): 24-13 lions
Erik Schlitt (9-5): 27-24 Lions (5 key preview)
Kyle Yost (9-5): 21-18 lions
Hamza Baccouche (8-6): 25-19 lions
John Whiticar (7-7): 30-27 lions
Chris Perfett (0-0-14): 24-24 draw
Check out all of our Week 16 tips here.
Now it's time to make your predictions. Vote in the poll below and share your outcome predictions in the comments section below.
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