The Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings will battle for the NFC North and first overall seed in the playoffs tonight. The Lions come in as a narrow favorite, but are they the better team?

The Cold, Hard Football Facts have successfully predicted the outcome of NFL games and seasons for over 20 years. This is the type of game where you have to lean on the proprietary stats to make the call, and they're telling us critical information...

The stats are telling us that this game is TOO CLOSE to call. The public is hammering the Lions, and they may win the game. However, Minnesota has many edges, and they deserve to be in this spot. 

The stats tell us not to take the Vikings lightly because they have earned every ounce of their 13-2 record. Minnesota ranks fifth in the Quality Stats Power Rankings, and while they don't have as good of an offense as Detroit, they're much healthier than Dan Campbell's squad. 

Minnesota has the best Defensive Passer Rating and the first overall Defensive Hog Index in the NFL. They're also third in Defensive Rusher Rating, so they have every quality needed to win a big game. 

The Lions are a complete juggernaut, and they deserve respect. Yet, Minnesota is in the same position, and they have plenty of routes to win on Sunday Night Football.