5 bold Minnesota Vikings predictions for Week 16 vs. the Detroit Lions

4. The Lions will have the lead in the fourth quarter

The public perception is that Lions head coach Dan Campbell is a meathead football guy. But even if he shows up with a Panera caffeinated lemonade in one hand and a Starbucks venti espresso in the other, he has had the Vikings’ number in his first four meetings in Minnesota.

This seems improbable, considering Detroit's record against the Vikings during Campbell's tenure is only 2-2, but you could argue that they could be 4-0.

In his first meeting with Minnesota, Campbell was left in tears as his winless Lions team took the lead late, only to have Greg Joseph kick a game-winning field goal for the Vikings.

One year later, Detroit held a pair of 14-point leads before Campbell decided to kick a field goal instead of going for a fourth down conversion late, which led to a game-winning touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins to K.J. Osborn.

This also extends to Detroit, where the Lions mounted a comeback that Amon-Ra St. Brown used as a springboard to stardom in 2021 before destroying the Vikings at Ford Field in 2022.

Whether it’s Campbell’s coaching or offensive coordinator Ben Johnson’s wizardry at work, Detroit has given themselves a chance to win every time they’ve played Minnesota in the last two seasons, and Sunday will be no different.