The Minnesota Vikings bring a perfect record and a defense that's been suffocating offenses all year into a Ford Field matchup against a Detroit Lions team that's won two straight.
Game details
| When | Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 1:00 PM ET |
| Where | Ford Field |
| TV | Fox |
| Line | Detroit Lions -3.5 | O/U 45.5 (market view) |
| Minnesota Vikings record | 6-0 |
| Detroit Lions record | 4-2 |
Overview
Minnesota Vikings sit at 6-0, winners of six straight, and they've done it by scoring 125 points while allowing just 74. The run includes a 16-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 7, a 23-13 win over the New Orleans Saints, a 15-10 win over the Miami Dolphins, a 23-16 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a 9-3 win over the Chicago Bears. This is Minnesota's first 6-0 start since 2009, and a win here makes it 7-0 for just the fifth time in franchise history. The Vikings lead the NFL in scoring defense at 12.3 points per game, sit at plus-7 in turnover differential and rank tied for first in sacks with 21.
Detroit Lions enter at 4-2 and have won two in a row, beating the Green Bay Packers 20-17 in Week 7 and the Arizona Cardinals 45-21 before that. In between, the Lions dropped a 26-32 decision to the Carolina Panthers and also lost 31-41 to the Buffalo Bills earlier in the season, with a 31-24 win over the New York Jets mixed in.
Minnesota leads the all-time series 82-45-2 and has won the past two meetings, including a 23-10 win at home last December. The market makes Detroit a 3.5-point favorite with a total of 45.5, but with the league's top scoring defense and a plus-7 turnover margin on their side, the Vikings have every reason to believe they can keep this one close or better.
Key players
Kyler Murray is chasing his fourth straight game with a 90-plus rating and has thrown for 250-plus yards in three of his four career starts against Detroit.
Justin Jefferson has 602 catches for 8,782 yards and 45 touchdowns in 99 career games, the third-most receiving yards all-time through a player's first 100 games, and he's averaged 138.5 receiving yards per game across six career outings at Detroit.
Aaron Jones Sr. is going for his fourth straight road game in 2026 with 90-plus scrimmage yards, and he's topped 60 scrimmage yards in every game he's played against Detroit as a Viking, including a rushing touchdown in the last meeting.
T.J. Hockenson caught his second receiving touchdown of the season last week and returns to the building where he was the No. 8 overall pick in 2019, racking up 186 catches for 2,068 yards and 15 touchdowns across 47 games with the Lions.
Will Reichard projects for 9.5 DraftKings points and figures to see plenty of opportunities if Minnesota's defense keeps setting up short fields.
Keys to the game
Lean on the league's best scoring defense and that plus-7 turnover differential to force Detroit into mistakes early.
Get Aaron Jones Sr. going on the ground since he's cleared 60 scrimmage yards in every game he's played against Detroit with Minnesota.
Keep Kyler Murray clean and efficient to extend his streak of 90-plus rating games to four in a row.
Fantasy angles
Start Kyler Murray with confidence. He's gunning for his fourth straight 90-plus rating game and has topped 250 passing yards in three of four career starts against this Detroit defense.
Justin Jefferson is a must-start regardless of matchup, but his history here makes it easy: 138.5 receiving yards per game across six career meetings with Detroit.
Aaron Jones Sr. is a strong RB1 play this week. He's hit 60-plus scrimmage yards in every game against Detroit as a Viking and scored a rushing touchdown in the last meeting.
T.J. Hockenson is a solid flex option coming off his second receiving touchdown of the season, and he knows this building well from his time as a Lion.
Will Reichard carries a reasonable floor given how often Minnesota's defense has been flipping the field this season.
Prediction
The market has this one going Detroit Lions 25, Minnesota Vikings 21, with Detroit favored by 3.5 and the total set at 45.5. That line reflects Detroit's home offense clicking behind its passing game, but it also assumes Minnesota's defense, the best scoring unit in the league, keeps this inside a field goal. Given the turnover numbers and the sack totals the Vikings are putting up, a one-score finish close to that market number feels about right.
Injury report
| Player | Pos | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Jay Ward | S | Questionable |
| Christian Darrisaw | OT | Did not practice (no game status yet) |
| Harrison Smith | S | Limited in practice (no game status yet) |
Depth chart
Offense
| Pos | Minnesota Vikings |
|---|---|
| QB | Kyler Murray |
| RB | Jordan Mason |
| FB | Max Bredeson |
| WR | Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jauan Jennings |
| TE | T.J. Hockenson |
| LT | Christian Darrisaw |
| LG | Joe Huber |
| C | Blake Brandel |
| RG | Will Fries |
| RT | Brian O'Neill |
Defense
| Pos | Minnesota Vikings |
|---|---|
| LDE | Levi Drake Rodriguez |
| NT | Caleb Banks |
| RDE | Jalen Redmond |
| WLB | Andrew Van Ginkel |
| LILB | Eric Wilson |
| RILB | Blake Cashman |
| SLB | Dallas Turner |
| LCB | Isaiah Rodgers |
| RCB | James Pierre |
| NB | Byron Murphy Jr. |
| SS | Joshua Metellus |
| FS | Harrison Smith |
Recent results
| Team | Last games |
|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | Wk7 W 16-10 vs Indianapolis Colts, Wk5 W 23-13 vs New Orleans Saints, Wk4 W 15-10 vs Miami Dolphins |
More league notes: Week 8 NFL Preview & Capsules and What To Look For - Week 8, from the NFL.
Written by Rhett Zone, an AI analyst, from News Hub Fantasy data (schedule, scores, box scores, injuries and depth charts). A second AI checked every claim against that data before it was published. Read how we use AI in our editorial standards.