Post by Funkytown on Dec 10, 2022 20:49:51 GMT -6
Here we go! A chance to clinch The North!
Some things to get you started:
Purple Path Forward - Week 14 - Roll Over Lions
Vikings at Lions Depth Chart Preview
Enemy Fan Forums
Reagor "guarantees" victory!
Lastly, some discussion and analysis from Alec Lewis and Jon Krawczynski
Vikings-Lions preview, predictions: Can the Vikings secure the NFC North title?
Some things to get you started:
Purple Path Forward - Week 14 - Roll Over Lions
Vikings at Lions Depth Chart Preview
Enemy Fan Forums
Reagor "guarantees" victory!
Lastly, some discussion and analysis from Alec Lewis and Jon Krawczynski
Vikings-Lions preview, predictions: Can the Vikings secure the NFC North title?
What I’m watching
Lewis: T.J. Hockenson. The Detroit Lions drafted him. He earned Pro Bowl honors as a member of their team. This very season, he played four games at Ford Field. Now, as a member of an NFC North rival, he returns to a place harboring so many memories. How will he feel? What will be on his mind? Can he torch a defense he matched up with for months on the Lions’ practice fields? Even Hockenson has acknowledged the whirlwind this has been, finding out he had been traded, burying himself in a new playbook and helping a division-leading team. Sunday may supply some closure to his departure. It will certainly supply many emotions.
Krawczynski: Justin Jefferson. I know, really going out on a limb, right? But here’s one: In The Athletic’s survey this week that asked us to pick our top three MVP candidates, I had Jefferson as No. 1. I’m tired of its being an award given to the best quarterback, as important as they are. Jefferson deserves consideration, and he has an ax to grind after being held to 14 yards in the first matchup. He usually follows a low-yardage game with a big one, so the Lions should be nervous after he was held to 45 yards last week against the Jets.
Biggest concerns
Lewis: The Vikings defense. In the past month, Minnesota has allowed more than 300 yards to all four quarterbacks it has faced (Josh Allen, Dak Prescott, Mac Jones and Mike White). Lions QB Jared Goff has performed better than all of them since Week 10. In fact, he ranks No. 1 out of 23 qualified quarterbacks in expected points per dropback in that span. Add Amon-Ra St. Brown’s ability and the Lions’ rushing prowess — they rank No. 8 in the NFL this season in rushing success rate — and the defensive challenge is clear.
Krawczynski: Big hits on Kirk Cousins. His toughness has earned him a deeper level of respect in the Vikings locker room this season. But he is absorbing some really big hits from week to week, in the pocket and when he decides to take off and run. The Vikings need him to be healthy in the playoffs, so keeping him clean this week would be a welcome development.
Biggest opportunities
Lewis: Cam Dantzler. The cornerback can prove how much his presence provides for this defense. He suffered an ankle injury in Washington, D.C., against the Commanders and has not played since. He has practiced fully this week and is in line to return. With Dantzler on the field this season, the Vikings defense is allowing 5.88 yards per play. Without him, it’s allowing 6.23 yards per play. How much can he affect a game against an offense that is humming? It could speak volumes.
Krawczynski: The Detroit freakin’ Lions. Yeah, the whole team. When was the last time we said that about the Motor City kitties this late in the season? But the way these guys are playing and following Dan Campbell makes them one of the more dangerous teams out there right now. There’s a reason Vegas picked them as favorites in this game. The Lions seem to have found a groove. It should be, easily, the toughest game remaining on the Vikings’ regular-season schedule. They have won four of their past five, against the Packers, Bears, Giants and Jaguars. Not exactly a murderers’ row of opponents. A win over the Vikings would validate them even further.
Most interesting storyline
Lewis: Divisional bragging rights. With a win Sunday, the Vikings will secure the NFC North for the first time since 2017. They’ll have done it during a season that was pegged as a “competitive rebuilding” year. A win would underscore an impressive first season for head coach Kevin O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. The wearing of hats and shirts would further validate the decision to roll with this roster and see what was possible.
Krawczynski: Jameson Williams. He’s a rookie who just got on the field for the Lions after rehabbing a knee injury that happened in college at Alabama. But the Lions traded up with the Vikings to grab him with the 11th pick in the draft. If he burns the secondary Sunday, and with the Vikings’ draft class looking underwhelming so far, it wouldn’t be a great look for Adofo-Mensah, who has had plenty of success in most every other area of the job so far.
Lewis: T.J. Hockenson. The Detroit Lions drafted him. He earned Pro Bowl honors as a member of their team. This very season, he played four games at Ford Field. Now, as a member of an NFC North rival, he returns to a place harboring so many memories. How will he feel? What will be on his mind? Can he torch a defense he matched up with for months on the Lions’ practice fields? Even Hockenson has acknowledged the whirlwind this has been, finding out he had been traded, burying himself in a new playbook and helping a division-leading team. Sunday may supply some closure to his departure. It will certainly supply many emotions.
Krawczynski: Justin Jefferson. I know, really going out on a limb, right? But here’s one: In The Athletic’s survey this week that asked us to pick our top three MVP candidates, I had Jefferson as No. 1. I’m tired of its being an award given to the best quarterback, as important as they are. Jefferson deserves consideration, and he has an ax to grind after being held to 14 yards in the first matchup. He usually follows a low-yardage game with a big one, so the Lions should be nervous after he was held to 45 yards last week against the Jets.
Biggest concerns
Lewis: The Vikings defense. In the past month, Minnesota has allowed more than 300 yards to all four quarterbacks it has faced (Josh Allen, Dak Prescott, Mac Jones and Mike White). Lions QB Jared Goff has performed better than all of them since Week 10. In fact, he ranks No. 1 out of 23 qualified quarterbacks in expected points per dropback in that span. Add Amon-Ra St. Brown’s ability and the Lions’ rushing prowess — they rank No. 8 in the NFL this season in rushing success rate — and the defensive challenge is clear.
Krawczynski: Big hits on Kirk Cousins. His toughness has earned him a deeper level of respect in the Vikings locker room this season. But he is absorbing some really big hits from week to week, in the pocket and when he decides to take off and run. The Vikings need him to be healthy in the playoffs, so keeping him clean this week would be a welcome development.
Biggest opportunities
Lewis: Cam Dantzler. The cornerback can prove how much his presence provides for this defense. He suffered an ankle injury in Washington, D.C., against the Commanders and has not played since. He has practiced fully this week and is in line to return. With Dantzler on the field this season, the Vikings defense is allowing 5.88 yards per play. Without him, it’s allowing 6.23 yards per play. How much can he affect a game against an offense that is humming? It could speak volumes.
Krawczynski: The Detroit freakin’ Lions. Yeah, the whole team. When was the last time we said that about the Motor City kitties this late in the season? But the way these guys are playing and following Dan Campbell makes them one of the more dangerous teams out there right now. There’s a reason Vegas picked them as favorites in this game. The Lions seem to have found a groove. It should be, easily, the toughest game remaining on the Vikings’ regular-season schedule. They have won four of their past five, against the Packers, Bears, Giants and Jaguars. Not exactly a murderers’ row of opponents. A win over the Vikings would validate them even further.
Most interesting storyline
Lewis: Divisional bragging rights. With a win Sunday, the Vikings will secure the NFC North for the first time since 2017. They’ll have done it during a season that was pegged as a “competitive rebuilding” year. A win would underscore an impressive first season for head coach Kevin O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. The wearing of hats and shirts would further validate the decision to roll with this roster and see what was possible.
Krawczynski: Jameson Williams. He’s a rookie who just got on the field for the Lions after rehabbing a knee injury that happened in college at Alabama. But the Lions traded up with the Vikings to grab him with the 11th pick in the draft. If he burns the secondary Sunday, and with the Vikings’ draft class looking underwhelming so far, it wouldn’t be a great look for Adofo-Mensah, who has had plenty of success in most every other area of the job so far.
... and neither is this Chris guy.