luckadjusted
NFL Week 3 · 2026

NFL · Week 16 2026 · Sunday, December 27

Commanders vs Vikings prediction and pick

Our Washington Commanders at Minnesota Vikings pick: Vikings by 6.0, 67% to win. The forecast starts from what each team’s play has been worth once the luck is adjusted for, adds last season, who starts at quarterback and who is out hurt, and home field. No betting information goes in.

An early look, 13 weeks ahead: it sharpens as the game comes up. Updated every day until kickoff, then frozen and scored. After the game this page shows who deserved to win.

Why the curves are so wide: luck. Even with both teams’ strength known exactly, one game’s bounces, kicks, calls and sequencing move the final margin by about ±12.1 points (one standard deviation, measured from every play since 2019). These forecasts carry ±13.4, so about 81% of the width is that luck; the rest is what nobody knows yet about the teams. That is why a 7-point favorite still loses about 3 times in 10.

Commanders at Vikings

Sun, Dec 27, 1:00 pm ET · U.S. Bank Stadium

Vikings by 6.0 · 67% to win

Show as a table
OutcomeChance
Commanders win32.6%
Vikings win67.4%
Middle 50%: Commanders by 3 to Vikings by 1550%
Middle 90%: Commanders by 16 to Vikings by 2890%
Middle 95%: Commanders by 21 to Vikings by 3295%
Exactly Vikings by 38.1%
Exactly Commanders by 36.6%
Exactly Vikings by 75.5%
Exactly Vikings by 144.6%
Exactly Vikings by 104.2%
P50
Half of games like this end between Commanders by 3 and Vikings by 15.
P90
9 in 10 between Commanders by 16 and Vikings by 28.
P95
19 in 20 between Commanders by 21 and Vikings by 32.
Where the forecast comes from
This season, adjusted for luckVikings+3.2
Home fieldVikings+2.3
Last seasonVikings+1.0
QuarterbacksCommanders+0.5

The season so far

TeamRecordCoin-flip winsLuck in wins
Commanders 1–2 1.2 0.0
Vikings 3–0 1.4 +1.3

Coin-flip wins: the wins each team’s games were worth with only the kicks, bounces, drops and calls re-rolled, the record adjusted for luck. Luck in wins: actual wins minus what the play was worth.

Commanders vs Vikings: questions and answers

Who will win Commanders vs Vikings?

Our forecast picks the Vikings, with 67% to win; the Commanders win 33% of the time.

What’s the spread for Commanders vs Vikings?

Our spread: Vikings −6.0. The betting line isn’t out yet. Ours uses no betting information, so where the two differ is where our read of the teams differs from the market’s.

When is Commanders vs Vikings?

Sunday, December 27, 2026, at 1:00 pm ET, at U.S. Bank Stadium.