Lions (3-8-1) at Vikings (8-4)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Minneapolis, MN, U.S. Bank Stadium
Lions’ keys to victory: Play better late in games. This is a team that is better than its record indicates. All but one of the Lions’ losses have come by less than eight points, and that was back on Oct. 20 against the Vikings when Minnesota won 42-30. There is plenty of talent on this Lions team, especially at WR with Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr. The Vikings’ secondary has been suspect, so there’s an opportunity here for Detroit to find big plays. Of course, Lions fans would feel better about all of this if Matthew Stafford were healthy.
Vikings’ keys to victory: Don’t lose focus in preparation. The Vikings had a huge Monday Night Football game against the Seahawks and have upcoming games against the Chargers, Packers and Bears. This game doesn’t look particularly sexy on paper, but as you’ve heard a time or two before, games are not played on paper. The Vikings nearly fell into a trap facing off against the Broncos in Week 11 before their bye week. The Lions are eliminated from the playoff hunt and have nothing to play for. Sometimes, though, those are the most dangerous teams. It will be up to QB Kirk Cousins to get the Vikings offense rolling early.
Matchup to watch: Lions QB vs. Vikings pass rush. Lions third-string QB David Blough will have his hands full with a talented Vikings pass rush. Danielle Hunter is having another strong season. Everson Griffen is back on track after a rocky 2018. Even Anthony Barr gets in the mix sometimes. I would expect Vikings coach Mike Zimmer to throw a lot (look for some safety blitzes via Harrison Smith) at a quarterback who was better than many people thought on Thanksgiving against the Bears.
Who wins? The NFC playoff picture changes week to week, and that just shows you how competitive this all is. The Vikings should come out thinking of this as a must-win game for not only playoff position, but for a potential NFC North championship. Vikings 29, Lions 13