It’s another week without Sam Bradford for the Minnesota Vikings (2-1), but will it matter after the performance Case Keenum put in last week? The Detroit Lions (2-1) will travel to U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis to find out Sunday.
The game is set for a 1 p.m. kick off on your local FOX station.
The Game: Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings (-2)
O/U: 42.5
The History
The two teams have met at least twice a year every year since 1961 with the Vikings holding a commanding lead in the all time series, 71-38-2.
The Lions swept Minnesota last season on their way to an NFC Wild Card berth. The first game was at U.S. Bank Stadium with Detroit winning 22-16 in overtime. The second was 16-13. Both were Matthew Stafford comebacks.
It’s been a series of sweeps over the last three seasons. In 2015, the Vikings swept the Lions 26-16 and 28-19. In 2014 Detroit swept the Vikes 17-3 and 16-14.
The longest streak in the rivalry belongs to Minnesota who won 13 consecutive games from October, 1968 to September, 1974.
DETROIT LIONS (2-1)
The Lions had to be sick all week after having what looked like the game winning touchdown against the defending NFC Champion Atlanta Falcons overturned by a review. A review that not only took away the touchdown, but came with a 10 second runoff that ended the game with every player standing on the sideline.
The reversal kept Matthew Stafford from recording his second come from behind victory of the season and his 10th in the last two seasons. This should be a hungry team that shows up on the field in Minneapolis Sunday.
Stafford spread the ball around to eight different receivers against the Falcons and he’ll need to be just as deft in making his reads against a stout Vikings defense. Running back Ameer Abdullah has yet to get on track this season and is averaging just 3.5 yards per carry. He did good work in the passing game last week, catching three for 39 yards.
The difference maker for Detroit will be its defense. They picked up just two sacks against Matt Ryan last week, but Case Keenum is a very different target. They’ll need to force turnovers and keep Dalvin Cook contained, forcing Keenum to beat them with his arm.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS (2-1)
I made the joke a couple of times this week that Case Keenum was secretly replaced with Joe Montana or Dan Marino in their prime. Such a feat would require the bending of space time, possibly requiring the power of a collapsed star, so there’s a good chance that’s not what happened. What is more likely is Keenum just found himself in the perfect situation, facing the perfect defense last week. He got help from Cook, who rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown and a career performance from Stefon Diggs, who caught eight passes for 173 yards and two scores.
Can Keenum do it again? That’s the question we’ll have to ask ourselves every week until Sam Bradford returns.
What you can count on is the Vikings defense showing up at home. They forced five turnovers last week, all from Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston who tossed three picks and fumbled twice. It was the constant pressure up front and the sure hands of one of the best defensive backfield in the NFL that made the difference. A 34-17 blowout kind of difference.
The Pick
I’m answering the Case Keenum question right now. He cant’ do it two weeks in a row. If anything, Keenum’s performance may convince Pat Shurmur that he can open up the offense more with Keenum under center and that’s going to spell disaster against a good Lions defensive unit. If Matthew Stafford has the ball in his hands in the fourth quarter and the game is within a score, he won’t be denied two weeks in a row. Lions 20, Vikings 17
This week
Straight up: 1-0
Against the spread: 1-0
Last week
Straight up: 7-9
Against the spread: 6-10
Season
Straight up: 28-19
Against the spread: 22-25
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