Game Preview

Coming off a tough loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, The Minnesota Vikings (1-1) are out for revenge this week as they take on the Detroit Lions (1-1) at 12:00 PM CDT. Last year, the Lions stunned the Vikings snapping their 0-10-1 record in week 13 of the 2021 Regular Season. Both teams have high expectations coming into the year and the Lions are living up to it with their only loss coming to the Eagles in Week 1 38-35. The Vikings however are not looking as good as most people thought they would. In a pathetic performance on Monday Night Football, The Vikings lost 24-7 to the Eagles and reached the RedZone 4 times in the 2nd half but came away with no points from those drives. With the Vikings home stadium, US Bank Stadium, having one of the best atmospheres in the NFL, This game should be very good for sure.

 

Offensive Overview

The Vikings had a very bad offensive performance last week only putting up 7 points in the whole game. From bad O-Line play to Receivers dropping balls, nothing was going the Vikings way.

QB Kirk Cousins threw 3 interceptions last week. (He threw only 7 in all of 2021) Cousins will have to step his game up heavily this week if he wants to give the Vikings a chance to win this one.

RB Dalvin Cook only had 6 rushes for 17 yards last week. That is the lowest amount of carries he has ever had in a game. Cook will more than likely see an increased role in the offense this week as long as the Lions don’t take an early lead and cause the Vikings to commit to the passing game like they did last week. The Vikings only had a total of 11 rushes all game vs the Eagles compared to 46 passes thrown. Vikings head coach said this when asked about Cook. “I’ve got to do a better job making sure I get him in a rhythm.” This hints to him getting the ball early in the game and more in general throughout the game.

WR Justin Jefferson looks to have a much better game saw well after putting up ne of his worst games in a long time. He only had 6 catches on 12 targets for 48 yards. Eagles CB Darius Slay also had two interceptions when lined up against him. WR Adam thielen was only targeted 7  times but they all came in the 2nd half. He has 0 touchdowns so far this year but is one of the best RedZone receivers in the NFL nd can thrive against the weak cornerback rokom the Lions have. WR KJ Osborn came into the year with high expectations as the WR3 of one of the best receiving rooms in the NFL but hasn’t lived up to the hype yet. 

The O-Line as a whole needs to step up this game. Cousins wa sacked 5 times against the Eagles which isn’t acceptable. Cousins had little to no time in the pocket which caused many incompletions. Against a weak Lions front 7, The Vikings O-Line should thrive on Sunday.

 

Defense Overview

The Vikings edge rush was underwhelming last weak but that was excepted due to the Eagles being one of the best O-Lines in football. However, The Lions also have one of the best O-Lines in football which means the edge rush could be slowed down. OLB’s Za’Darius smith and Danielle Hunter must thrive against this team to make sure Lions QB Jared Goff can’t get into a rhythm.

The D-Line also performed poorly last week and you should probably expect the same this week. The Lions have one of the best centers in football (Frank Ragnow) Although he is questionable. I wouldn’t expect much to get by him.

Middle Linebackers Eric Kendricks and Jordan Hicks will have to contain Lions RB D’Andre Swift this game. Swift is currently listed as questionable for the game after not practicing wednesday due to an ankle injury. Expect this MLB duo to rack up over 20 tackles combined this week!

The Vikings defensive back room has been very shaky this year and with star safety Harrison Smith listed as questionable with a concussion, expect to see more of 2022 First Round Draft Pick Lewis Cine. Cine was sidelined Week 1 due to knee injury and only played one defensive snap Week 2 after Smith left with a concussion. Rookie CB Andrew Booth Jr is also questionable with a quad injury suffered in Week 1 that forced him to miss all of Week 2.

Vikings Injury Report

S Harrison Smith (Concussion) Questionable

CB Andrew Booth Jr (Quad) Questionable.

 

Lions Injury Report

RB D’Andre Swift (Ankle) Questionable

DL Aidan Hutchinson (Thigh) Questionable

OG Jonah jackson (Finger) Questionable

DL John Cominsky (Wrist) Out

TE TJ Hockenson (Hip) Questionable

S JuJu Hughes (Shoulder) Questionable

S Ifeatu Melifonwu (Hamstring) Questionable

CB Amani Oruwariye (Back) Questionable

 

Overall

Now overall I believe this will be a very good game but I do see the Vikings taking the edge on this one due to the lions having so many injuries. If Swift and Hockenson are both out that leaves him with only Amon-Ra St. Brown as a good target to have. They will also possibly be missing the best center in football and their top cornerback, when you play against Justin Jefferson, that doesn’t end well for most teams. I also see Dalvin having a good bounce back week and receiving a lot more rushes this game. However, if the Lions can clear up their injuries before Sunday, we could be in for a nice overtime shootout in Minneapolis.