Nate Tice reacts to the Christmas Day NFL slate and looks ahead to the NFL playoff race. Nate gives his instant takeaways from the Dallas Cowboys win over the Washington Commanders, a wild Minnesota Vikings upset win to knock the Detroit Lions out of playoff contention and the Denver Broncos taking care of the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night in their quest for the top seed in the AFC.

Kickoff from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis is set for 4:30 p.m. ET. The latest Vikings vs. Lions odds have Detroit favored by 7 points, while the over/under for total points scored is 44.5 via DraftKings Sportsbook. Before making any Lions vs. Vikings picks, check out the NFL predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model .

Minnesota Vikings vs Detroit Lions picks, predictions, odds, win probabilities for NFL Week 17 Christmas Day game on Thursday, Dec. 25. Who will win?

With Detroit’s season on the line on Thursday, the Lions defense held the Minnesota Vikings to 161 yards. But the Detroit offense lost six turnovers as the Vikings took a 23-10 Christmas victory.

The Detroit Lions looked prime for be a Super Bowl contender early in the season, but the wheel came completely off this team after their Week 8 bye. From 5-2 before that week off to 3-5 after, they are on the cusp of playoff elimination in the NFC. The Minnesota Vikings, on the other hand, have won three strait and will be looking to play spoiler.

Al-Quadin Muhammad, who entered Saturday tied for ninth in the NFL with 11 sacks, said he has not had any dialogue with the Lions about an extension.

Well, that is unless you're a Lions fan. In today's newsletter, we'll recap the Christmas sports slate and look ahead to the weekend, which includes more than a handful of critical football games as the NFL playoffs continue to take shape.