Early look at the Detroit Lions 2017 opponents: Minnesota Vikings

The Lions squeaked out victories in their two games against the Vikings in 2016. Both teams have made significant changes heading into 2016, Here is a look at the Lions week four and 12 opponent.

I recall many Lions fans advocating not taking Matthew Stafford in 2009. With the first pick in the draft, many advocated that the team should “wait until next year” to draft a quarterback. It is true that the successful young quarterbacks in the league tend to be those that walk into a room with a good supporting cast.

Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco, and Colin Kaepernick all saw immediate success with teams that did not need them to carry the load immediately. Every year you see people advocating that teams at the top of the draft order wait until “next year” because there is a player that is worth waiting for.

Sam Bradford was that player for Lions fans in 2009. Those who did not like Stafford’s game because he had wonky mechanics, threw the ball into coverage, and relied on his arm strength far too often at Georgia, said that Sam Bradford would be worth waiting for. All of those were 100% accurate assessments but one. Matthew Stafford is unquestionably the better quarterback of the two and has been every season of their careers in which neither of them has been injured.

The Vikings were one win from a playoff birth in 2016, and the victim of Matthew Stafford’s comeback tendencies twice. The Vikings had a rough year, turning a 5-0 start into an 8-8 record. Part way through the season they lost their offensive coordinator, and they lost a future Hall of Famer to injury for most of the season. Their Offensive line was decimated by injuries, and their defensive backs mutinied later in the year.

2016 was not a pleasant year for Vikings fans, let’s take a quick look at how they have tried to rectify their roster deficiencies headed into 2017. Get used to these names, you’ll see most of them twice this year.