Lions 
vs 
Vikings
John Bitz
December 6, 2019
Vikings vs. Lions Game Preview
After 13 weeks of NFL regular season play the Minnesota Vikings find themselves in a position where they control their own destiny make the postseason. As of right now, the Vikings hold the second wild card in the NFC Conference with a record of 8 wins and 4 losses. However, they are only up by one game on the Los Angeles Rams, who have a record of 7 wins and 5 losses. This means that the Vikings will need to keep winning to make the playoffs. This week, the Vikings will host the Detroit Lions at U.S Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. There are a few keys to the game for the Vikings to win this game and stay in the playoff picture in the NFC Conference.
Three Keys to the Game
- Taking care of business– It no secret for the Vikings that in order to win this game, they need to take better care of the football on offense and play well on defense. Last week, the Vikings did neither of these in their 37-30 loss to the Seahawks. On offense, the Vikings committed 3 turnovers and lost the time of possession battle to the Seahawks by a whopping 19 minutes and 30 seconds. On defense, the Vikings allowed the Seahawks to get 444 total yards on offense including 218 rushing yards. This cannot happen again if the Vikings want to win against the Lions this week. Even though the Lions have not had a good season and are nowhere near as good as the Seahawks, the Vikings still need to treat them like a regular opponent and play good on both sides of the ball to win the game.
- Understand the mindset the Lions will be playing with- The Detroit Lions have had a very disastrous season. They own a record of 3 wins 8 losses and 1 tie in a season where they were supposed to show improvement. For this reason, their head coach Matt Patricia is on the hot seat and in danger of losing his job at the end of the year. At this point they have nothing to lose as they have already been eliminated from the playoff picture in the NFC. They will be starting an undrafted rookie by the name of David Blough who is making his second start this season. In his first start on Thanksgiving, Mr. Blough threw for 280 yards and 2 Touchdowns. The Vikings cannot take Mr. Blough and the Lions offense lightly as the Lions have been a team that can put up points in a hurry. The Vikings secondary will be tested by Lions wide receivers Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr, both of whom are having career years and rank as two of the better wide receivers in the NFL. The Vikings will have to play disciplined defense against the pass and run in order to stop the Lions offense this Sunday.
- The Vikings offense needs to take advantage of the Lions poor defense- The most important key to a victory for the Vikings this Sunday is for the Vikings offense to take advantage of a poor Lions defense. This season, the Lions defense ranks 30th out of 32 against the pass, 23rd out of 32 against the run and 29th overall on defense. However, the Lions do have one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL in Darius Slay. He will likely be covering Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs. This will be a matchup to watch. Besides Mr. Slay, there really is not much to speak of about the Lions defense and the Vikings offense should be able to dominate this game without too much trouble.
Prediction
I think that the Vikings will likely go with a run heavy approach against the Lions and attempt to dominate the time of possession battle. The Lions really do not matchup well with the Vikings and will endure a tough time in Minneapolis. My thought are that the Vikings will win in dominating fashion, while I get to witness my first NFL regular season game in person at U.S Bank Stadium. Vikings 34 Lions 20
Thank you for reading my blog and be sure to stay tuned as I will be posting soon about my first experience going to an NFL regular season game at U.S Bank Stadium.
Works Cited
“2019 NFL Standings.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, www.espn.com/nfl/standings.
“Lions-Vikings Preview Capsule.” Detroit Free Press, Associated Press, 5 Dec. 2019, www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/2019/12/05/lions-vikings-preview-capsule/40765461/.
Thompson, Eric J. “Vikings vs. Lions Week 14 Preview: Handle It.” Daily Norseman, Daily Norseman, 5 Dec. 2019, www.dailynorseman.com/2019/12/5/20995214/minnesota-vikings-detroit-lions-preview-2019-week-14-nfl-picks.
“Vikings vs. Seahawks – Game Summary – December 2, 2019.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, www.espn.com/nfl/game?gameId=401128112.
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