Vikings at Lions Depth Chart Preview W7 2019
Oct 18, 2019 20:18:05 GMT -6
Funkytown and Oracle Bone Diviner like this
Post by Danchat on Oct 18, 2019 20:18:05 GMT -6
The 2-2-1 Lions and 4-2 Vikings face off in an important matchup in a tough NFC North. With neither team having a division win yet, if either squad wants a chance to win the division, this will be an incredibly important game. How do the Lions stack up this year?
* My thoughts *
The Vikings had totally shut down the Lions' offense in both matchups in 2018, with Stafford running for his life and taking tons of sacks. Things have changed here, as retread Darrell Bevell has breathed some life into this offense. Staffold has looked much better than he did last year, as he's been connecting well with Kenny Golladay, who's a legit #1 WR now. The biggest boost for this team has been the offensive line... despite returning 4 of 5 starters from last year. Maybe it's because they're healthy, but he's been getting the protection he's needed. 1st round rookie TE T.J. Hockenson hasn't been a threat in the passing game since opening day, but he has the ability to get open against NFL LBs. Marvin Jones and Danny Amendola are two vets who can beat you if you don't put NFL-caliber players up against them.
One reason why this offense is better is because Bevell is using Kerryon Johnson like a feature back, something Jim Bob Cooter failed to do last year. No longer will horribly-designed screens to the washed-up LeGarrette Blount happen, instead, Johnson will be fed the ball. Ragnow and Dahl have been better in the run blocking game than their counterparts were last year (Ragnow and Glasgow flipped spots). Lastly, Jesse James will get plenty of usage as a 2nd TE, but he's mostly a good blocker and not a receving threat.
The Lions defense has been markedly better than they were last season. Their D-line is stacked on paper, though a bit injured. They love to rotate their D-linemen, with strong pass rushers in Flowers, Kennard, and Robinson, and run stuffers in Harrison and Daniels. Despite this, the Lions run defense has been rather poor so far. This may be due to the poor LB group, that still has Jarrad Davis and Christian Jones doing poor jobs. 2nd round rookie Jahlani Tavai has been rated well so far, but he's only playing about 30-40% of the snaps.
The Lions pass defense is pretty good. Darius Slay is a #1 CB who has had some great games against the Vikings - Cousins would be smart to avoid him if at all possible. Detroit also added former Vikings CB Justin Coleman, who has become one of the best nickel CBs in the league. Coleman has been a top 10 CB and might just be able to handle Thielen or Diggs. Rashaan Melvin is a mediocre 3rd CB who should be targeted when possible. At safety, the Walker-Diggs tandem has played decently, though Diggs has consistently earned below-average marks. Tracy Walker has a bright future, as PFF has him as a top 20 safety so far this year.
Prediction: Lions 23, Vikings 17
This Lions team has been playing well this year and nearly won all 5 of their games. Something seems to go wrong for the Lions, whether it's a dumb timeout that otherwise would have ended the game (vs Cardinals), the MVP (vs Chiefs), or the refs (vs Packers), I think this team is good. I think Cousins' struggles will return against a strong team on the road.
Alright, what are your thoughts?
Injury Report
Lions
DT Mike Daniels Out
CB Amani Oruwariye Out
FB Nick Bawden Questionable
SS Quandre Diggs Questionable
DT Da'Shawn Hand Questionable
CB Darius Slay Questionable
RT Ricky Wagner Questionable
Vikings
LB Ben Gedeon Out
LB Kentrell Brothers Questionable
Lions
DT Mike Daniels Out
CB Amani Oruwariye Out
FB Nick Bawden Questionable
SS Quandre Diggs Questionable
DT Da'Shawn Hand Questionable
CB Darius Slay Questionable
RT Ricky Wagner Questionable
Vikings
LB Ben Gedeon Out
LB Kentrell Brothers Questionable
* My thoughts *
The Vikings had totally shut down the Lions' offense in both matchups in 2018, with Stafford running for his life and taking tons of sacks. Things have changed here, as retread Darrell Bevell has breathed some life into this offense. Staffold has looked much better than he did last year, as he's been connecting well with Kenny Golladay, who's a legit #1 WR now. The biggest boost for this team has been the offensive line... despite returning 4 of 5 starters from last year. Maybe it's because they're healthy, but he's been getting the protection he's needed. 1st round rookie TE T.J. Hockenson hasn't been a threat in the passing game since opening day, but he has the ability to get open against NFL LBs. Marvin Jones and Danny Amendola are two vets who can beat you if you don't put NFL-caliber players up against them.
One reason why this offense is better is because Bevell is using Kerryon Johnson like a feature back, something Jim Bob Cooter failed to do last year. No longer will horribly-designed screens to the washed-up LeGarrette Blount happen, instead, Johnson will be fed the ball. Ragnow and Dahl have been better in the run blocking game than their counterparts were last year (Ragnow and Glasgow flipped spots). Lastly, Jesse James will get plenty of usage as a 2nd TE, but he's mostly a good blocker and not a receving threat.
The Lions defense has been markedly better than they were last season. Their D-line is stacked on paper, though a bit injured. They love to rotate their D-linemen, with strong pass rushers in Flowers, Kennard, and Robinson, and run stuffers in Harrison and Daniels. Despite this, the Lions run defense has been rather poor so far. This may be due to the poor LB group, that still has Jarrad Davis and Christian Jones doing poor jobs. 2nd round rookie Jahlani Tavai has been rated well so far, but he's only playing about 30-40% of the snaps.
The Lions pass defense is pretty good. Darius Slay is a #1 CB who has had some great games against the Vikings - Cousins would be smart to avoid him if at all possible. Detroit also added former Vikings CB Justin Coleman, who has become one of the best nickel CBs in the league. Coleman has been a top 10 CB and might just be able to handle Thielen or Diggs. Rashaan Melvin is a mediocre 3rd CB who should be targeted when possible. At safety, the Walker-Diggs tandem has played decently, though Diggs has consistently earned below-average marks. Tracy Walker has a bright future, as PFF has him as a top 20 safety so far this year.
Prediction: Lions 23, Vikings 17
This Lions team has been playing well this year and nearly won all 5 of their games. Something seems to go wrong for the Lions, whether it's a dumb timeout that otherwise would have ended the game (vs Cardinals), the MVP (vs Chiefs), or the refs (vs Packers), I think this team is good. I think Cousins' struggles will return against a strong team on the road.
Alright, what are your thoughts?
... and neither is this Chris guy.