Detroit Lions vs Minnesota Vikings NFL Preview: Team news, betting, tickets, live stream, Fantasy Football and more

The Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings square off in a pivotal Week 9 matchup in the 2025 NFL season.

Detroit returns home to Ford Field after enjoying a bye week, and riding the wave of a dominant 24-9 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7. Sitting at 5-2, the Lions look like one of the NFC’s most balanced and confident squads. The Vikings, on the other hand, are fresh off a rough 37-10 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night and now sit at 3-4 heading into this NFC North showdown. This one carries major implications in the division race.

At 3-4, Minnesota isn’t out of the hunt — not yet — but dropping this game could put them in a deep hole. A loss would push the Vikings to 3-5 and allow Detroit to climb to 6-2, widening the gap significantly. And with the Green Bay Packers sitting at 5-1-1 and favored this week at home, Minnesota could suddenly find itself staring up at two teams with multiple games of separation. That’s the kind of gap that requires a miracle run to overcome.

Flip the script, though, and it's a different story. A Vikings win bumps them back to .500 at 4-4, tightens the race, and keeps the division very much alive. They’d be just one game behind Detroit and potentially two behind Green Bay, still challenging, but absolutely manageable with half a season to go.

Detroit Lions vs Minnesota Vikings kick-off time

NFL

Ford Field

The Lions and Vikings will meet in Week 9 of the NFL season at Ford Field in Detroit, MI, on Sunday, November 2, 2025, starting at 1:00 pm ET.

Team news & squads

Detroit Lions team news

The Detroit Lions continued to look like one of the NFC’s most steady forces, securing their fifth win of the season in a Monday night tilt against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Detroit struck early and kept the pressure on, scoring touchdowns in each of the first three quarters en route to a 24-9 victory. Jared Goff turned in a clean performance, finishing 20-of-29 for 241 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

 The star of the evening, though, was Jahmyr Gibbs, who ripped off 136 yards on 17 carries and punched in two rushing touchdowns to pace the ground attack. Amon-Ra St. Brown topped the receiving unit once again, collecting six catches for 86 yards and a score as Detroit controlled the game from start to finish.

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Minnesota Vikings team news

The Minnesota Vikings couldn’t stop the slide in their Thursday night matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, taking another tough blow on the road. By halftime, Minnesota trailed 21-3 and never found the spark to flip the script, ultimately falling 37-10. 

Carson Wentz went 15-for-27 for 144 yards with a touchdown and an interception, while the run game never got off the ground — Zavier Scott led the backfield with just two carries for 16 yards. Through the air, Justin Jefferson continued to do what he does, hauling in seven receptions for 74 yards, and Jordan Addison found the end zone, grabbing three passes for 26 yards and the team’s lone score.

The Vikings are stuck in a tough stretch, dropping three of their last four, and the injury report hasn't done them any favors. The biggest trouble spot has been up front, both starting tackles and the starting center have missed significant time, leaving the offensive line duct-taped together week after week. But the real storyline swirling around Minnesota right now is at quarterback.

Second-year passer J.J. McCarthy started the first two games before going down with an ankle sprain. In his place, Wentz has taken the reins, and the results have been shaky at best. Wentz has posted six touchdowns against five interceptions and holds an 85.8 passer rating, struggling to generate any consistent spark.

The situation has gotten even murkier with the growing whispers around McCarthy's status. The young QB has returned to practice in a limited capacity the last two weeks, and he’s served as Minnesota’s emergency quarterback on game days. With Wentz nursing a shoulder issue of his own, some around the league have openly wondered whether this is less about injury and more about a quiet benching while the coaching staff sorts out the future.

Whatever the reasoning, the expectation is that McCarthy will be under center when the Vikings travel to Detroit, setting the stage for his third NFL start.

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Watch and live stream Lions vs Vikings in the USA

The Lions vs Vikings game in Week 9 of the 2025 NFL season will be broadcast live nationally on FOX. Fans can catch the coverage onFubo (Try for free today!).

More details on where to watch the game in the United States, including streaming options, will be released soon, so keep an eye out for our dedicated coverage.

Watch and live stream Lions vs Vikings worldwide

For fans outside the U.S. looking to stay plugged into the action,NFL Game Pass on DAZN is the ultimate ticket. It serves up more than 200 regular-season and playoff matchups, complete Super Bowl coverage, plus access to NFL Network, NFL RedZone, and plenty more to keep you locked in all year long.

To bypass regional restrictions or to access the game if you are travelling abroad, you can watch the action using a Virtual Private Network like ExpressVPN.

How to buy Lions vs Vikings tickets

The showdown between the Lions and the Vikings is set for Ford Field in Detroit, MI, a venue that packs in up to 72,220 fans and promises a fiery atmosphere on game day.

Tickets are already up for grabs on StubHub, with entry starting at $386. From there, prices climb through the tiers, $300, $400, $500, $600, $700, $800, $900, $1,000, and stretching all the way into the premium ranges of $2,000, $3,000, $4,000, $5,000, $6,000, and topping out at $10,406 for the best seats in the house.

Check the link below for the full breakdown of how to purchase tickets to NFL games.

READ MORE: NFL 2025 Tickets: Prices, deals, season tickets & membership information

Lions vs Vikings Fantasy Football

Jared Goff (18.2 projected Week 9 points) comes out of the bye looking sharp and steady. He’s been dealing the ball with pinpoint accuracy, completing 74.9% of his throws (2nd in the league), pushing the ball downfield at 8.0 yards per attempt (5th), and maintaining a strong 7.4% touchdown rate (2nd).
The funny part? The efficient play hasn’t always shown up in box-breaking fantasy numbers. Even if Detroit doesn’t go heavy on the pass this week, this matchup still sets up well for him to stay in rhythm. If he simply gets hot finishing drives, we’re talking QB1 upside without needing fireworks.

Now, onto Jahmyr Gibbs (14.6 projected W9 points), who likely spent his bye week basking in that monster 218-yard, three-touchdown showcase in Week 7. For the sake of realism, if any normal human ran 218 yards in a day, they'd need six months of physical therapy and a recliner with cupholders.
Detroit draws Minnesota, who just let Kimani Vidal cross the century mark with a score. With Carson Wentz now shelved and J.J. McCarthy taking over, the Lions could be playing from ahead most of the afternoon — which means Gibbs should shoulder plenty of run-game work. Lock him in as an elite option again.

David Montgomery (9.9 projected W9 points) didn’t get his share of fireworks on Monday night, finishing with 39 yards on 15 touches and no trips to the paint. He remains a boom-or-bust fantasy play, you're either getting a sledgehammer at the goal line, or you’re left shrugging and staring at your lineup.

The Lions return home to host Minnesota, a defense that had started the season as a brick wall against wideouts. Even still, this offense has been cooking, and Amon-Ra St. Brown has been right in the middle of it, seven scores in seven games. The matchup with Brian Flores’ defense may not produce a blow-the-doors-off ceiling, but ASRB remains a rock-solid WR1 play.

On the opposite sideline, J.J. McCarthy (15.0 projected W9 points) makes his return after missing the last five games with an ankle issue. In his first two starts, he hit on 58.5% of his throws for 301 yards and two touchdowns, not terrible, but far from polished.

For fantasy managers, the hope is that the time watching Carson Wentz was actually useful. Earlier this season, McCarthy struggled to feed Justin Jefferson (11.2 projected W9 points), who maxed out at seven targets per game with McCarthy but pulled in 43 targets across four games with Wentz under center. Even though the touchdowns haven’t flowed yet, Jefferson remains a weekly threat to hit high-volume, high-impact numbers.

Lions vs Vikings Game Predictions

The Lions come into this one well-rested after a full bye week, while the Vikings had a long weekend to sit with the sting of that Thursday night beatdown. And when these two line up on Sunday, it's hard to see anything other than Jared Goff and Detroit delivering another one-sided result.

This is a prime chance for Detroit to push Minnesota deeper toward the NFC North basement, and the Lions look more than capable of doing just that. Over their last four outings, the Vikings’ defense has been leaking yards and points: 5.92 yards per play allowed, 353.8 total yards surrendered per game, and an average of 26.5 points given up. That’s a recipe for disaster against a Detroit offense that thrives when it finds rhythm early.

And here's the kicker: Goff has historically had Brian Flores’ defensive schemes figured out. He’s comfortable picking apart those aggressive looks, staying patient and making the right reads. Meanwhile, based on everything Minnesota has shown on offense this season, it’s hard to convince yourself they’ll be able to match Detroit score-for-score.

With the Lions sitting at 5-2 and the Vikings hovering at 3-4, the records already tell a story — one team surging, the other slipping. Detroit owns advantages on both sides of the ball, and unless something dramatic changes, this feels like a chance for the Lions to tighten their grip on the division while sending Minnesota further adrift.

Lions vs Vikings Betting Odds

Spread: Lions -8.5

Moneyline: Vikings +370, Lions -480

Total Over/Under: 47.5

Form

Head-to-Head Record

DET

Last 5 matches

MIN

5

Wins

0

Draws

0

Wins

• Detroit Lions

  31

  -

  9

  Minnesota Vikings

• Minnesota Vikings

  29

  -

  31

  Detroit Lions

• Detroit Lions

  30

  -

  20

  Minnesota Vikings

• Minnesota Vikings

  24

  -

  30

  Detroit Lions

• Detroit Lions

  34

  -

  23

  Minnesota Vikings

Useful links

• Lions 2025 NFL schedule: TV channel, livestream & where to watch the games
• Vikings 2025 NFL schedule: TV channel, livestream & where to watch the games
• How to watch and live stream NFL football for free and without cable
• 2025 fantasy football rankings: Running back (RB) | Wide receiver (WR) | Tight end (TE) | Quarterback (QB)