Sunday Night Football Picks Week 18: The Battle for the NFC’s First Seed

• The Winner will secure the first seed in the NFC portion of the NFL playoffs

• The Lions won the last matchup 31-29

• Minnesota enters on a nine-game win streak

The Minnesota Vikings (14-2) will battle the Detroit Lions (14-2) in the final regular-season game of the 2024 NFL season on Sunday Night Football to determine the first seed in the NFC conference.

The Vikings won nine straight games but fell to the Lions in Week 7, while Detroit won back-to-back games and is undefeated against the NFC North. 

This is only a first-of-its-kind matchup to determine the first from the fifth seed, but it also has the potential to be an all-time classic showdown to usher in the NFL playoffs. Here are our best Vikings vs. Lions betting picks for SNF.

For our SNF picks we'll use odds from FanDuel Sportsbook. Bet $5 on the Vikings vs Lions game and get $250 in bonus bets if your initial wager hits.

Jahmyr Gibbs Under 87.5 Rushing Yards (-114 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Gibbs has been outstanding for the season as a whole and especially since he became the lead back in the Detroit Lions’ running game following David Montgomery’s injury. He carried the ball 41 times for 226 yards the last two games, racking up two rushing touchdowns in the process.

As great as Gibbs has been, the Vikings allowed just 3.9 yards per rush attempt (third) and 88.1 rushing yards per game (second). He ran for 116 yards when he faced the Vikings earlier in the year, but they’ll have film and first-hand experience on how to deal with him. 

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Sam Darnold Over 34.5 Pass Attempts (-122 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Darnold threw the ball a season-high 43 times last week and went over this line in three straight games (two of which were against NFC North opponents). He only threw it 27 times earlier in the season but now has more of his coaches’ trust.

The Lions also defended an average of 36.5 pass attempts per game largely because of the pressure they put on opponents with their high-scoring offense.

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T.J. Hockenson Over 46.5 Receiving Yards (-114 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Hockenson has worked into a larger receiving threat nearly since he first returned from injury. He went over this line in two of his last three games, the last of which saw him catch five passes for 68 yards in a tough battle with the Green Bay Packers.

The Lions have a lot to deal with in the form of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and already allowed 250.4 receiving yards per game (31st), and Hockenson should find success working the middle of the field.

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Jared Goff to Throw an Interception (-102 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Goff has 10 interceptions on the year, and five of them came in a Sunday Night Football showdown with the Houston Texans. He didn’t throw a pick in three games and only tossed one in his last seven outings.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and the Vikings lead the NFL with 1.4 forced interceptions per game. Like we said with Gibbs, they have film on Goff, and the stakes of this matchup could force him into making an unwise decision.

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