The Detroit Lions are enjoying a week off, holding a 5-2 record after Monday night’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But the march toward winning a championship is far from finished and will continue when they host the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9.
When the schedule came out at the beginning of the year, this was a matchup that many circled on their calendar. But after Minnesota was demolished in a 37-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night, the matchup looks even easier and could be a minor speed bump on the way to the Lions’ championship aspirations.
Lions Can Bury Vikings’ Season in Week 9 Showdown After Bye Week
It wasn’t long ago when the Vikings were one of the biggest threats to the Lions in the NFC. A Week 18 matchup in Detroit last January had both the NFC North title and the No. 1 seed in the conference on the line, and the Lions turned in one of their best performances of the year in a 31-9 victory. But Thursday’s game showed the Vikings are a much different team than the one they saw the last time they crossed paths.
The Vikings made a bold move by letting quarterbacks Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones leave in free agency last spring and tripled down on J.J. McCarthy by turning down Aaron Rodgers’s overtures. McCarthy’s sprained ankle (or “soft benching” if you prefer) hasn’t helped his development, and the Lions could be facing a quarterback that hasn’t played since Week 2 or Carson Wentz, who struggled throughout Thursday’s loss and is dealing with a significant shoulder injury.
As if the quarterback situation isn’t playing into the Lions’ favor, so is the Vikings’ offensive line. Left tackle Christian Darrisaw pulled himself from Thursday’s game after nine snaps, and Minnesota was also without starting right tackle Brian O’Neill (knee) and center Ryan Kelly (concussion). The survivors in the trenches allowed Wentz to be pressured on 53.1% of his dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus, and managed just 34 rushing yards and 3.09 yards per carry on the ground.
Minnesota’s defense, which was a strength of last year’s team, has also sprung leaks. Los Angeles QB Justin Herbert threw for 227 yards and three touchdowns with little resistance, but the running game was an especially big weakness. The Chargers ran for 207 yards, including 117 yards and a touchdown by Kimani Vidal, and Minnesota has already allowed two games of over 200 yards this season.
If you’re going through this list and comparing it to the Lions, it sounds like the perfect blueprint for a multi-score victory in Week 9.
The Lions’ defense is absolutely rolling and went into the bye week by holding MVP candidate Baker Mayfield to 228 yards and the Buccaneers to nine points. Detroit also ranks 10th in pressure rate at 23.6% and could be getting Terrion Arnold back from a shoulder injury, while Alim McNeill has another week to rest up after making his season debut after tearing his ACL last December.
Minnesota’s deficiencies on defense also line up with the Lions’ strengths. Detroit’s rushing offense, anchored by David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, ranks fifth with 133.7 rushing yards per game, and Jared Goff has posted an NFL-high 118.0 passer rating through the air.
With a team clearly on the brink coming into Detroit, it’s a good omen for the Lions, who will need every victory they can get with the Green Bay Packers leading the division and the Chicago Bears looking like an improved team. It’s also some satisfaction for Lions fans who are watching their biggest rival from a year ago fall apart, and could see the full-blown implosion happen when the team returns from their bye.