Special teams power Vikings past Lions

The Minnesota Vikings defeated the Detroit Lions Sunday, 20-13, to move to 3-1 and stay in first place in the NFC North.

The Vikings offense struggled, being unable to find the end zone all game, but the special teams and defense answered the call to carry Minnesota to victory. The special teams proved game-changing, with kickoff and punt returns for touchdowns, accounting for 14 points in all.

Related: Jim Schwartz says firing special teams coordinator Danny Crossman is not a consideration

One of the game’s most dynamic playmakers, Harvin made his presence felt on the absolute first play:

The 24-year-old now has five career kick return touchdowns, including at least one in each of his four NFL seasons. Just a couple quarters later, Sherels would score his first career touchdown in dazzling fashion:

The play immediately went under review, and the officials ruled Stafford’s butt hit the ground prior to the fumble, so the Lions maintained possession.

You can bet the Green Bay Packers will be keeping tabs on the Vikings - Lions contest, but they might not like what they saw from DE Kyle Vanden Bosch. He sacks QB Christian Ponder on 3rd down, then takes a play out of Green Bay’s book:

What’s next, State Farm commercials?

This NFC North battle has just started out with a bang, with the Vikings up 7-0 early.

Henderson, the Vikings linebacker, has been ruled out with concussion symptoms. He has not practiced or played since Sept. 19 when he first reported the injury. Henderson’s absence is a huge blow to the Vikings defense, as he was the team’s leading tackler through two games.

Rookie wide receiver Jarius Wright is still out with an ankle injury he suffered in the preseason. Wright was a fourth-round selection by the Minnesota Vikings out of Arkansas.

In a week full of upsets last week, not many surprised bettors more than the Minnesota Vikings upsetting San Francisco as a 7-point home underdog.

Both of these teams have been awful at covering spreads recently. Detroit is 1-9 ATS over its last 10 games while Minnesota is 3-7-1 ATS over its last 11 games. The Lions have won each of their last three games against the Vikings (1-1-1 ATS), but the Vikings are 3-1-2 ATS over the last six meetings between these two division rivals.

Despite those struggles, most NFL experts are picking the Lions to win Sunday’s contest. At ESPN, nine of their eleven experts chose Detroit, with only Merril Hoge and Mike Ditka going with the Vikings. Six of eight CBS experts also take Detroit, with Will Brinson and Dave Richard the only exceptions.

Vegas has sided with the experts, installing the Lions as a 4.5-point favorite.

The 1-2 Lions have disappointed some bettors this year, going 0-3 against the spread so far. The Vikings haven’t fared much better, going just 1-2 against the spread -- despite a 2-1 record.

A full odds report can be found at OddsShark.