NFC North Week 15 picks: Can the Lions hold off the Eagles and the Vikings?

In Detroit, the Lions have 11 straight victories, 12 overall, and still have only measly one-game leads over Philadelphia in the NFC and the Vikings in the NFC North. But … “I love it,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “I think it’s great for us. It keeps you sharp. We do well with pressure and it’s the right kind of friction and stress that we need and it’s motivating.” Detroit leads the league in scoring (32.1), but here comes Buffalo into Ford Field looking to become just the fifth team ever to reach 30 points in eight consecutive games in a single season.

In Chicago, the Bears have one of the league’s stranger stats: a plus-10 turnover differential for a 4-9 team riding a seven-game losing streak. They rank fourth in turnover differential behind only Pittsburgh and Buffalo (plus-17) and the Chargers (plus-11). Chicago’s 10 giveaways are fifth-fewest in the league. The Vikings have 19 giveaways. Of the top 12 teams in turnover differential, the Bears are the only one with a losing record.

In Green Bay, the Packers lead the league in points off turnovers at 97. They’ve won two games when losing the turnover differential. Only Kansas City (three) has done that more times. Buffalo ranks second in points off turnovers (91) followed by the Vikings and Steelers (85 apiece) and the Texans (83).

Sunday, 3:25 p.m.

Who doesn’t like a potential Super Bowl preview featuring two of the leading MVP candidates in December? Buffalo’s Josh Allen likely will have the flashier individual performance, but Detroit’s Jared Goff has the better overall team, home-field advantage over a Bills team that’s 4-3 on the road, and a franchise-record 11-game winning streak. Lions 37, Bills 34

Sunday, 7:20 p.m.

If the season ended today, this would be one of the NFC’s wild-card matchups. The Packers (9-4) have the better team and are 7-2 in their last nine games, with both losses coming against Detroit. But Seattle’s defense and running game have stepped up during a four-game winning streak. Green Bay should win, but go with Seattle and a mild upset at home in prime-time. Seahawks 27, Packers 24.

Monday, 7 p.m.

The Bears should be embarrassed by how little effort and give-a-darn they mustered in last week’s blowout loss at San Francisco. Maybe interim coach Thomas Brown can shame them into stepping things up to a professional level for a prime-time game against a team they forced into overtime before losing just three weeks ago. If that happens, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams might be able to make enough plays with his legs and good decisions with his arm — he has no interceptions in the team’s current seven-game losing streak — to at least scare a Vikings team that’s won six straight. Just don’t count on it. Heck, go ahead and give the points. Vikings 31, Bears 13.

Record/vs. spread: 33-12/26-18-1.

Vikings pick/vs. spread: 7-6/5-7-1.

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