Detroit Lions vs. Minnesota Vikings: What to watch for in week 12

The Detroit Lions take on the Minnesota Vikings in their annual Thanksgiving game. Let’s look into some key things to watch in this important NFC North matchup.

After a huge win last Sunday, the Detroit Lions head back home for their traditional Thanksgiving game against the Minnesota Vikings. Both teams are coming off huge wins from Sunday, and this game could decide the playoff race for the NFC North. Let’s get into some of the biggest things to watch for on Thursday.

1. Special Teams

Usually, I end on special teams. But after what I witnessed last week, I’m starting off here. First thing is first, Matt Prater is the man. That man is the definition of clutch and I never want him to stop playing football. I have a feeling this will be a close game, and Prater is king when the game is on the line.

Some worse Lions news though is that Jamal Agnew may not be out there. The rookie return man has been a stud but he left last Sunday’s game with an injury. That same knee injury has held Agnew out of practice this week. There is still a chance that Agnew is on the field Thursday, but if not hopefully his replacements can be mistake free.

Agnew is a game changer, and the Lions are going to need game changers to win this one.

2. Vikings pass rush

The Lions offensive line was not stellar at the beginning of the year. Taylor Decker returning to full strength is a great help though. Last time these teams matched up, the Vikings sacked Matthew Stafford five times. It was another one of those Stafford has to do a lot to win the game games. This time it would be nice for the Lions to actually give Stafford time.

If this is another game like last time, with Stafford running for his life, I don’t think there is a chance the Lions can win. The Vikings are playing very well right now, and any struggle will be exploited. If the Lions don’t give Stafford any time, this game will be over quick.

3. Running game

Now I could talk about how the Lions running game is going to struggle. How they need to have a 100-yard rusher already, and what Ameer Abdullah needs to do ball out to win. But actually, something else happened last week. Theo Riddick ran the ball well last week.

Rather than the usual things I see from him, which is trying to be shifty in the backfield, he ran straight and it worked. His nine carries tied his season high and were only two less than Abdullah.

I’ve never been a supporter of Riddick running the ball. But for some reason, I liked what I saw last Sunday. It will be interesting to see if he’s the main back this week because getting him as more of a runner is only going to help him in the passing game.

Next: Why Turkey Day could go either way for Lions

Either way, the team as a whole needs to play better in the running game. But hey, when Reggie Bush was your team’s last 100-yard rusher, you know you have problems.