Lions' Campbell 'shocked' to be favored over Vikings

Although the 10-2 Minnesota Vikings enter Week 14 as the NFC's No. 2 seed, it's the 5-7 Detroit Lions who are favored in Sunday's matchup between the two division rivals.

Even Lions head coach Dan Campbell was surprised by Minnesota's underdog status.

"I really don't even know how to respond to that," Campbell said Friday, according to Kyle Meinke of MLive. "I'm shocked by that."

Detroit, which will host the Vikings, is in red-hot form. The Lions have won four of their last five games to return to the fringes of playoff contention, with their one slip-up being a last-second defeat to the AFC-leading Buffalo Bills on Thanksgiving.

Only the Dallas Cowboys are averaging more points per game (40) than the Lions (32) over their last three games.

Meanwhile, the Vikings bounced back from a 40-3 loss to Dallas on Nov. 20, winning back-to-back games over the New England Patriots and New York Jets.

However, Minnesota's defensive vulnerabilities continued to be exposed during those contests. Kevin O'Connell's squad has allowed an NFL-high 451 yards per game over the last three weeks.

The Vikings, who beat the Lions 28-24 in Week 3, can clinch their first NFC North title since 2017 with a win or a tie Sunday.