Detroit Lions predictions 2017: Week 12 vs. Minnesota Vikings
By Zac Snyder
The Detroit Jock City writers make their predictions for the Detroit Lions’ week 12 Thanksgiving home game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Each week, the Detroit Jock City staff will make their picks for that week’s Detroit Lions game with a quick take on the matchup and a final score.
This week sees the Lions host the Minnesota Vikings on Thanksgiving Day. The division showdown will have major ramifications for the NFC North race. A win pulls the Lions a game closer and would give them a tiebreaker advantage by virtue of a season sweep. A Vikings win, however, could put the division out of reach.
Here is what the Detroit Jock City staff sees for the game ahead.
Mike Rizzo (8-2) – The Lions have won three straight and are currently two back of the Vikings. If the Lions win today they will not only hold the tie breaker over the Vikings, they will also shut up a lot of doubters. I don’t have a lot of faith in Case Keenum and the Lions are healthier than they were the first time they played Minnesota. I think the Lions win and give us all a happy Thanksgiving! Lions 24, Vikings 13
Bruce Walker (7-3) – This is a really tough one. On paper, the Detroit Lions have little chance of matching up with the Minnesota Vikings. If you take the rankings for each team of their offensive total yards gained per game, points per game, rushing and passing yards then do the same for the defense and average those eight placements, the Vikings rank 7th in the NFL. Your Detroit Lions rank 17th. The first matchup saw the Lions take three fumbles away from the Vikings while Zach Zenner recovered Matthew Stafford’s fumble deep in their own end of the field, resulting in a plus three turnover margin in favor of the Lions. I’m not sure that the Lions can count on that happening again.
The Bad (for the Lions): Case Keenum has been sacked only five times all season. He has not fumbled at all. Matthew Stafford has been sacked 33 times and lost five of his seven fumbles. Keenum has averaged 71.75%completions over the past two games with zero sacks. The Lions have really struggled of late getting any consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks, including accumulating only one sack apiece on Keenum and the Brown’s DeShone Kizer the week before. With Haloti Ngata out, the Lions have also been very ineffective in stopping the run. The Lions have not been overpowering at home this year, losing three of their five games played.
The Good: The Lions have now won 9 straight in November (10 of the last 11), the longest current streak in the NFL. The second longest was five games by the Raiders, who lost Sunday. The Lions have won their last three Thanksgiving Day games by an average of 26 points! They play this game like they own it. The Lions have swept the road games in the division for the first time in over five decades. The Lions play with grit. Despite THINKING that the Vikings will win this game, I FEEL that the Lions will prevail in a close game. Lions 21, Vikings 17
Matt Snyder (5-5) – The Lions enter a Thanksgiving matchup with the Minnesota Vikings that feels more like a playoff game than a mid-season contest. A loss would all but eliminate the Lions from the division race while also making a Wild Card berth look like false hope. The Lions need to win at home if they hope to keep pace with the rest of the NFC. Unfortunately the Vikings are flying high, having raised their offensive game to match the quality of their defense. It’s going to be a struggle in what looks like the NFL’s number one must-watch game of the week. Vikings 24, Lions 23
Jack Ozark (5-5) – The Vikings are a great team right now. The Lions are just a good team at the moment. Still this is the Thanksgiving game we are talking about, so home court advantage is going to be huge. If the Lions win this game it bodes very well for them getting the division. But that won’t be easy. Their best bet is to make Case Keenum play like the Case Keenum of old. He’s been hot recently, but when the Lions played against him earlier in the year they were able to hold him in check. That was his worst game of the season, but it was also the last time the Vikings lost a game. I’m excited to see how this one turns out. But at the end of the day, I’m going with the Lions on this holiday. Lions 24, Vikings 17
Zac Snyder (5-5) – The Lions have been able to survive the last two weeks despite giving up over 200 yards on the ground in each contest. That’s not a recipe for long-term success and it either changes today or the Lions will be in for a long day. The Vikings defense has a history of harassing Matthew Stafford and if they can control the ball, don’t be surprised if they control the game.
Vikings 27, Lions 20
Zack Caldwell (5-5) – No pick
Matt Bosko (5-5) – Everything about this game makes me feel like the Vikings will win handedly. At the same time, I just cannot see the Lions getting rolled in front of a raucous Thanksgiving Day crowd with so much on the line. It will not be a pretty one, but I believe Matthew Stafford will deliver once again with a late comeback. Lions 17, Vikings 13
Ash Thompson (4-6) – The Vikings are red hot right now and firing in all cylinders. The Lions can’t stop the run against teams that pose not threat in the passing game. The addition of Dwight Freeney is not likely to make much of an impact for the Detroit pass rush in week one of his tenure. Vikings 24, Lions 14
Colton Wesley (3-7) – The Lions need to win this game in order to stay in the NFC North title race. They’ve shown they can beat the Vikings, and the offensive line is healthy enough to deal with a strong Vikings pass rush. Also, if Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes remains out, the Vikings’ secondary doesn’t have the depth to match up with the Lions’ receivers, and Matthew Stafford could have a big game. Case Keenum has proven that he is a competent quarterback and has played well against the Lions consistently, but the Lions’ pass rush is starting to come into its own. Jim Caldwell is yet to lose on Thanksgiving with the Lions and I think it stays that way. Lions 24, Vikings 20
Next: 10 thoughts on Lions Thanksgiving game vs. Vikings
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