Week 8 · Sun, 1:00 PM EST · Fox
Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions
Ford Field, Detroit, MI
Market line for comparison: DET -3 · O/U 46.5 (DraftKings). The model never sees this.
Rating inputs
Each starting rating is a weighted blend of five real football inputs, not just wins and losses. Every term below is measured from the 2025 season.
Minnesota Vikings
| Input | Rating | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
Elo from results 9-8 in 2025, opponent-adjusted | 1562 | 80% | 1249.4 |
Scoring strength 344–333 points (+11.0 differential) → 51.9% expected win rate | 1513 | 5% | 75.7 |
Late-season form same replay with the closing 6 weeks counted double | 1618 | 15% | 242.8 |
Offense / defense split 20.2 PPG scored, 19.6 allowed → offense 1431, defense 1586 | 1516 | 0% | 0.0 |
| Blended 2025 rating | 1567.8 | ||
Offseason regression 25% back toward the 1500 league mean | 1550.9 | ||
Roster / QB adjustment No offseason adjustment applied. | 0.0 | ||
| MIN 2026 starting rating | 1551 | ||
Detroit Lions
| Input | Rating | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
Elo from results 9-8 in 2025, opponent-adjusted | 1493 | 80% | 1194.8 |
Scoring strength 481–413 points (+68.0 differential) → 58.9% expected win rate | 1563 | 5% | 78.1 |
Late-season form same replay with the closing 6 weeks counted double | 1494 | 15% | 224.1 |
Offense / defense split 28.3 PPG scored, 24.3 allowed → offense 1632, defense 1468 | 1600 | 0% | 0.0 |
| Blended 2025 rating | 1496.9 | ||
Offseason regression 25% back toward the 1500 league mean | 1497.7 | ||
Roster / QB adjustment No offseason adjustment applied. | 0.0 | ||
| DET 2026 starting rating | 1498 | ||
The calculation
Every term the model applies, in order, from both teams' starting ratings to the number on the card.
Win probability
1 / (1 + 10−(-47.6 / 400))
56.8% MIN
Model spread
-47.6 ÷ 25, rounded to the nearest half point
MIN -2.0
Confidence band
Injury adjustment
Report pulled 2026-10-27 13:20 UTCRatings describe a team over a whole season. Who is actually available on Sunday is a separate question, so the injury adjustment is applied last, after home field and rest. Each listed player costs a share of a point of spread based on his position, whether he starts, and how likely he is to play.
Before injuries
55.6%
MIN by 1.5
Injury term
−8.3 Elo
−0.3 pts of spread, home perspective
After injuries
56.8%
MIN by 2.0 · moved 1.2 pts of probability
Minnesota Vikings
−0.1 pts
- Donovan Jackson GOut−0.10
- Aaron Jones Sr. RBQuestionable−0.03
Detroit Lions
−0.5 pts
- Tom Kennedy WROut−0.10
- Ben Bartch GOut−0.10
- Kerby Joseph SOut−0.10
- Devin White LBOut−0.10
Statuses come straight from the league injury report: out and injured reserve count in full, doubtful three quarters, questionable roughly a third, probable a tenth. Starters are identified from the depth chart; anyone the model cannot place is treated as a backup.
Move the factors yourself
Every term feeds one number: the adjusted Elo difference. Drag any of them and watch the spread and confidence follow.
Drag to see how much a stronger or weaker host changes the call.
The two ratings only matter through their difference.
The tuned value is a flat 25 points for every host.
5 Elo per extra day of rest, capped at 25 either way.
A manual thumb on the scale, in the home team's direction.
Win probability
55.6% MIN
Model value
Model spread
MIN -1.5
Elo diff −39.4 · Lean
Probability curve
The logistic curve from −600 to +600 Elo, home perspective. The dot is your current setting; the faint vertical line is where the model itself sits. Notice the curve is flattest at the extremes — near a coin flip, every point of Elo moves the number most.
Where the ratings came from
Each rating is the end state of a full 2025 season of Elo updates, regressed toward the league mean for the new season.
- 2025 final rating
- 1561.8
- Regress 25% toward 1500
- −10.9
- 2026 starting rating
- 1550.9
2025 Elo trail
Biggest swings
- W 48–10 vs CIN+56.5
- L 6–22 vs ATL−48.1
- L 10–37 at LAC−45.4
- 2025 final rating
- 1493.4
- Regress 25% toward 1500
- +4.3
- 2026 starting rating
- 1497.7
2025 Elo trail
Biggest swings
- W 52–21 vs CHI+46.5
- L 17–30 at KC−42.5
- W 44–30 vs DAL+38.4
Matchup factors
Everything beyond the two base ratings that moved this specific number.
Home field
+25.0 pts
worth 3.5 points of win probability
DET hosts at Ford Field. Every host gets the same flat 25 points — the model does not rate crowds individually.
2025 head to head
- Week 9: MIN won 27–24 (DET at home)
- Week 17: MIN won 23–10 (DET on the road)
Strength of schedule
Who each team actually played in 2025, measured by their opponents' current ratings. This is context for reading the ratings — it is not an input to the prediction above, because beating good teams already raises a team's Elo more.
1501
average opponent rating · 15th toughest of 32
- vs above-average teams
- 1-7
- vs below-average teams
- 8-1
1496
average opponent rating · 22nd toughest of 32
- vs above-average teams
- 3-5
- vs below-average teams
- 6-3
What the model does not know
- · How an injury actually plays out — the adjustment above prices availability, not how well a replacement performs.
- · Coaching and roster turnover between seasons.
- · Weather, travel distance and short-week fatigue beyond raw rest days.
- · Anything a betting market has priced in since the season ended.