In a battle between two NFC North rivals each trying to avoid their fifth loss of the season, the Detroit Lions will square off against the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday afternoon in Week 10 action.

After a frustrating 1-3 start to the year, Jim Schwartz's Lions have pulled off wins in three of their last four games to even their record at 4-4 and pull back into the playoff race. At the other end of the spectrum, the Vikings will enter on a significant cold streak with losses in three of their last four. With the news that Minnesota star receiver Percy Harvin may not be able to play this week due to an ankle injury, the Lions curiously avoided the underdog distinction usually awarded to teams playing away from home.

The Lions came up short against the Vikings at Ford Field back in September, 20-13, and have won just twice against the spread over their last 10 road games. To make matters worse, the Lions own a meager 1-13 record straight up over their last 14 games on Minnesota's field. Although oddsmakers clearly believe these two teams are close to dead-even heading into their Week 10 game, recent trends appear to give the Vikings a slight advantage.

Spread: Detroit -1