Lions vs. Vikings Final Score Predictions: Can Detroit keep their playoff hopes alive and deliver Minnesota a lump of coal?

Christmas Day bring an NFC North matchup between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings, and it’s not the game Netflix thought they were getting.

Kole Noble, Mike Payton, Tyler Forness, Wendell Ferreira
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Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9 hugs Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) after 27-24 win over Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, November 2, 2025.
Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Christmas Day matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions isn’t what we were hoping to see.

When this game was announced, the hope was that these two teams would have something similar to their Week 18 game last year, where both teams were 14-2 and the winner earned the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. Instead, the 7-8 Vikings are eliminated from the playoffs, and the 8-7 Lions are one loss or one Green Bay Packers win away from missing the playoffs as well.

It’s not going to be the game you wanted to see, but this NFC North clash still could be the best game of the day. Our NFC North writers got together and predicted Thursday’s matchup, and they are split on who will get the win.

Vikings 23, Lions 21

The key to this game is going to be whether or not J.J. McCarthy ends up playing. This prediction will be published on Tuesday morning, and the only piece of evidence we have at the time is an estimated practice report where he was a non-participant. If he plays, McCarthy’s already beaten the Lions once this season at Ford Field, and he’s playing much better now than he was then. If he doesn’t play, Max Brosmer showed enough promise that the Vikings can attack the weaker secondary of the Lions without both Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch.

– Tyler Forness, A to Z Minnesota

Vikings 21, Lions 17

I don’t have a whole lot of faith left in the Lions at this point. Their interior offensive line is a problem and it’s the exact problem the Vikings attacked in the last matchup. On top of the that, the Vikings can move the ball on the ground well enough to win the time-of-possession game. And they’re at home.

– Mike Payton, A to Z Detroit

Lions 32, Vikings 14

Playing for their lives, the Lions would certainly be favored in this game under any circumstances. But with J.J. McCarthy dealing with a potential right-hand injury, the difference in what these teams can do on Thursday night gets materially more evident.

The Lions have had an underwhelming season and will need to win out and hope for the Packers to lose out to make the playoffs. It should be expected that the coaching changes would affect the team’s performance, and they absolutely did throughout the year. But the Lions are still the better team compared to the Vikings, especially considering that Minnesota is already eliminated and has impactful pieces that are sidelined, like left tackle Christian Darrisaw and edge defender Jonathan Greenard. Under Dan Campbell, the Lions tend to go after worse teams, so I feel more comfortable projecting a significant margin of victory.

– Wendell Ferreira, A to Z Green Bay

Lions 31, Vikings 14

It was a rarity to see the Detroit Lions lose two consecutive games, and the Lions did everything in their power not to lose last Sunday but came up just short against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Which upped the sense of urgency for this team with little time remaining.

A primetime game against a divisional rival seems like the perfect opportunity for Dan Campbell and Jared Goff to get this team back on track, and I don’t see this being close at all, regardless of who’s playing quarterback for the Vikings.

Predicting this many points against Brian Flores’ defense might not be wise, but that’s the way I’m leaning based on the stakes for Detroit. They’re going to go out to prove something on Christmas evening.

– Kole Noble, A to Z Chicago

Final Prediction for Lions vs. Vikings

This is a fascinating one. The two beat writers who don’t cover these teams believe the Lions win 31.5-14, while those who do cover them see it 22-19 in favor of the Vikings. What players end up missing the game will be a major factor in how this game goes down, especially McCarthy.

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