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Lions Offense
18th in average scoring
18th in average yards
7th in turnovers
9th most passing yards pg
15th most rushing

Vikings Defense:
6th in scoring
10th in yards
9th in turnovers
7th in passing yards given up per game
9th in rushing yards given up per game

Vikings Offense:
9th in scoring
9th in yards
21st in turnovers
25th most passing yards per game
3rd most rushing

Detroit's Defense:
Tied for 12 in scoring
27th in yards
7th in turnovers
26th in rushing yards given up per game
28th in passing yards given up per game


Detroit's has had the more balanced offense, but has not been great at putting up points. Conversely their defense has given up a ton of yards but has been more of bend-don't break defense not giving up a ton of points.

Based on their sack numbers (10) they have a below average pass rush. They also suck against the run, not only giving up a lot of yards per game, but they are near the bottom of the NFL in YPA.

There really should be no reason we don't put up 30+ points on this team, and the only way I see us losing is if Stafford has one of his really good games where he is virtually unstoppable (they are rare but he is good for one a season) and we lose in a shootout. The Lions also have one of the worst 4th quarter defenses in the NFL, giving up 5 TDs in that quarter versus 5 in quarters 1-3 combined. Even if the Vikings are down but within a couple of scores going into the final quarter, we should still be in good shape.

Run the ball down their throats, take a bunch of quick shots downfield in the passing game, and we win easily.

Vikings win 31-17

I'm with ya Stumpy. I hope the Eagles game helped to "unbreak" Cousins and give him the confidence to take chances and throw deep. I'm seeing a closer game, Vikings win at the end with a field goal, 24-21.

StumpHunter wrote: ↑Wed Oct 16, 2019 9:36 am Lions Offense
18th in average scoring
18th in average yards
7th in turnovers
9th most passing yards pg
15th most rushing

Vikings Defense:
6th in scoring
10th in yards
9th in turnovers
7th in passing yards given up per game
9th in rushing yards given up per game

Vikings Offense:
9th in scoring
9th in yards
21st in turnovers
25th most passing yards per game
3rd most rushing

Detroit's Defense:
Tied for 12 in scoring
27th in yards
7th in turnovers
26th in rushing yards given up per game
28th in passing yards given up per game


Detroit's has had the more balanced offense, but has not been great at putting up points. Conversely their defense has given up a ton of yards but has been more of bend-don't break defense not giving up a ton of points.

Based on their sack numbers (10) they have a below average pass rush. They also suck against the run, not only giving up a lot of yards per game, but they are near the bottom of the NFL in YPA.

There really should be no reason we don't put up 30+ points on this team, and the only way I see us losing is if Stafford has one of his really good games where he is virtually unstoppable (they are rare but he is good for one a season) and we lose in a shootout. The Lions also have one of the worst 4th quarter defenses in the NFL, giving up 5 TDs in that quarter versus 5 in quarters 1-3 combined. Even if the Vikings are down but within a couple of scores going into the final quarter, we should still be in good shape.

Run the ball down their throats, take a bunch of quick shots downfield in the passing game, and we win easily.

Vikings win 31-17

The offensive balance comparison is a little skewed in my view because of the way the Vikings have passed the last 2 weeks. It's pretty clear the Vikings can pass the ball as long as Cousins is playing the way he's played. They have the tools to do that.

I watched the Lions play the Cardinals in the first game of the season. My son was watching the game and in about the middle of the 4th quarter he said something like "man, the Cardinals suck. This game is over." I looked over at him and smiled and said something to the effect of hang on, this is the Detroit Lions. The Cardinals aren't out of it. And sure enough, a Cardinals team that had played like crap most of that game managed to come back and almost win it because the Lions flat-out blew it. They had many chances to put the game on ice and failed every time.

Not saying that is destiny in this upcoming game, but if the Vikings have a problem with consistency on both sides of the ball, the Lions have a problem with finishing the job. They showed the same tendency against the Packers. So many chances to just outright put that game away. It should never have come down to a few bad calls near the end. But the Lions somehow managed to let the game slip away because they couldn't finish drives with TDs earlier.

So this is the Lions. They are a talented team. They are at home. They will probably give the Vikings a tough game. But, if the chips are down and it comes down to a late drive, I'll put my money on the Vikings in this game, more because of who the Lions are at heart than the inconsistency of the Vikings. I think the Lions wilt in that situation.

Of course, I hope it doesn't come down to that and that the Vikings show up like they have the last two weeks, because if that Vikings team shows up, they are simply better than the Lions and should win, maybe even by a comfortable margin. That team shows up and the Vikings win by 2 TDs. If the inconsistent or slow-starting Vikings show up, I still predict the Vikings win, but it will be by a late field goal.

I want to see the Vikings continue to rely on true balance. Not just go into a game thinking they can run for 200 yards, but shoot for real balance, where the ability to run sets up play-action, boot action, and enough deep shots to keep a talented Detroit secondary honest. When the runs and passes are just about equal, we're really, really tough to beat.

Historically, the Vikings have given Matthew Stafford fits. Some are saying Stafford is having a "career year" thus far. Let's be clear ... his 99 QBR is the best of his career ... which isn't saying much. People are making a big deal out of Kenny Golladay, and I don't get it. He's caught only 53% of his targets. They're saying, "The running game is improved with Kerryon Johnson." Really? A 3.3 YPA and 57 YPG? C.J. Anderson as his backup? Dude's like ... my age.

This team has been smoke and mirrors, in my opinion. They beat the Chargers, which, as we're beginning to see, is no great shakes. They held down Kansas City for awhile by playing press-man coverage ... only the Chiefs didn't have Tyreek Hill, and the Lions still lost and gave up 34 in the process. They beat Philly ... so what? We destroyed Philly.

Far be it from us to take an opponent lightly, especially a division foe. But come on. The Lions are still the Lions. I fully expect us to win this game, then come home and thrash Washington to finish the first half at a solid 6-2.

When you look at the Lions stats on defense it certainly appears that we should be able to do whatever we want. I also think out pass rush dominates them. Expecting a pretty easy win. Hopefully I'm not overconfident.

My best friend and main hunting partner is a hard core Bears fan and we have a buck rack skull plate with a Vikings and Bears sticker on it that is the traveling trophy to reside in the trophy room after the outcome of when we play. Plus a 6 pk if the craft Stout if the winners choosing. Unfortunately the skull has resided in his trophy room TOO long.
But as we say in this division, throw the records out the window when these teams play. Anything can happen.
We should win this game. But we are playing in their house. And I, as others agreed, the Lions are still gonna be real pissed off about the Lambeau screwing they got. Also worried they may get the benefit of some "make up" calls by refs. Who knows.
But whenever we play a divisional opponent I'm never comfortable.
I hope the Cousins we have seen the last 2 weeks keep showing up.
I wanna predict a win and a score, but I'm not gonna jinx us in any way. Just gonna HOPE we get a good convincing win.

I think the biggest key is continuing the balance we have showed the last 2 weeks. If we do that, this is a dangerous team. So many guys that can beat you, a solid defense, etc. I think Stefanski/Kubiak are starting to realize that it is the key to victory. And not only winning but pure domination. My father is a die hard Rams fan and he said to me yesterday, if they keep that balance and not over-run like we did early on or over-pass like we did with flip and keep defenses on their toes, we're one of the best overall teams in football. I've been saying all along that if they balance on offense, they will be good. Cousins will be good and guys on this offense will be performing. They should have done it last year and never did. Mainly because Flip wouldnt adjust. This year, they started off doing that but luckily....Zim and the OCs made adjustments (and I think it's because of what Thielen and Diggs said). And so far, it's worked out for the better.

There is zero and I mean ZERO reason this offense has to go heavy pass or heavy run and ignore the other. It's not like 2012 where Ponder was terrible and we had no WRs and had to rely on AP. Or even the years following that where we didnt trust Teddy to push the ball down field. We have a QB that can make any throw. We have one of the best, if not the best, RB in the league right now, we have arguably the best WR duo in the NFL. We have 2 TE's that can either be red zone threats (Rudy) or field stretching playmakers (Smith). Granted the OL is weak but this type of balance is what made Keenum's OL look much better than it was. Shurmur kept defenses on their toes and made them keep guessing. This defense (for the most part) is going to keep us in games. Bailey is playing much better. This team can be a force if we game plan how we should, continue to stay aggressive on defense and keep nailing FGs.

I say 31-20 Vikings.

We are a better team. I expect the refs to help the Lions out. Although Cousins had a couple good games what I saw is a guy getting no heat. It's still the same QB and I backed him big time but he could crap the bed and it wouldn't surprise me. Same goes for the guy the Lions have. That's one of the reason why they have been a joke for years. He can't lift them up. I've seen him look horrible and seen him look great. Both off us are in the same boat a middle of the road QB that needs to be replaced. Otherwise you always go through this. Either great or sucks. I'm on a losing streak so I'll stick with what I've been doing and try and keep that alive. We will get beat. The refs will make up for the F up last week. They will jump up like 17-0 and then there D will be in an all out attack the passer mode. Cook will miss a few blitz pickups Cousins will get hit a few times probably fumble with Bradberry on his back and won't stand there anymore and just dump it off over and over. We will claw our way back in and maybe even get up but the Lions will score last for the win. That above is the worse case. The other case is we blow them out in a runaway. That could happen also.

This is a very interesting game IMO. Patricia is very good at scheming and game planning. Despite the aforementioned stats which point towards a Vikinngs win this game concerns me. I suspect Patricia will throw some wrinkles at us with his defense. It will be interesting to see how the Vikings respond.

This is an absolute must win game for the Vikings. We cannot afford to lose another Divisional game. Green Bay is 3-0 in the Division, we won't catch them if we drop a 3rd game. I think the NFC Wild Card spots will be hotly contested this year with three viable teams in the West and likely at least three in the North vying for competitive records.

CharVike wrote: ↑Thu Oct 17, 2019 9:36 am We are a better team. I expect the refs to help the Lions out. Although Cousins had a couple good games what I saw is a guy getting no heat. It's still the same QB and I backed him big time but he could crap the bed and it wouldn't surprise me. Same goes for the guy the Lions have. That's one of the reason why they have been a joke for years. He can't lift them up. I've seen him look horrible and seen him look great. Both off us are in the same boat a middle of the road QB that needs to be replaced. Otherwise you always go through this. Either great or sucks. I'm on a losing streak so I'll stick with what I've been doing and try and keep that alive. We will get beat. The refs will make up for the F up last week. They will jump up like 17-0 and then there D will be in an all out attack the passer mode. Cook will miss a few blitz pickups Cousins will get hit a few times probably fumble with Bradberry on his back and won't stand there anymore and just dump it off over and over. We will claw our way back in and maybe even get up but the Lions will score last for the win. That above is the worse case. The other case is we blow them out in a runaway. That could happen also.

Takes talent to “hedge your bet” in such a thoughtful and tasteful manner CV. You’ve got it mastered.
I’ve watched the Lions for years. You never know whether it’s a “go” day for Stafford and the Lions. A couple of years ago Kirk ran one in with 45 seconds left. Washington went into a prevent defense and the lions marched down the field unimpeded, scored and won. The Vikings need to get up on them early and bury them. The Lions are not a good 4th quarter come from behind team. Having said that, anything can happen on any given day. How’s that for hedging my bet? I’m with VL. We have the better team but it doesn’t always workout that way. I will predict it will be a close game. The fanbase wants blood for Monday nights debacle. Wounded and dangerous. They have suffered for
62 years and thought they had something this year. Not as long as the Ford family owns them. It’s heartbreak city and nothing positive on the horizon.

Cousins did fairly well against Patricia's defense last year. He was 39 for 50 for 417 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT, 1 fumble, 3 sacks. I think Patricia is going to have a much harder time defending this offense with Cook and Mattison so heavily involved now.

Our D also shut them down to 9 points in each game last year.

It's definitely there for the taking. I think we continue to roll.

I think that most of the league thinks that what the Philly LB said last week is true...that Cousins is the weakest link on the Viking offense. And along with that thinking, they will come into games with more of the defensive philosophy of stopping the run first and putting the offensive game in the hands of Cousins. Cousins is going to need several more weeks of performing like he did the last two weeks, and against some some better defenses that can bring pressure, before that philosophy changes. So I guess the outcome boils down to which Stafford AND which Cousins shows up.

VikeFanInEagleLand wrote: ↑Thu Oct 17, 2019 11:07 am I think that most of the league thinks that what the Philly LB said last week is true...that Cousins is the weakest link on the Viking offense. And along with that thinking, they will come into games with more of the defensive philosophy of stopping the run first and putting the offensive game in the hands of Cousins. Cousins is going to need several more weeks of performing like he did the last two weeks, and against some some better defenses that can bring pressure, before that philosophy changes. So I guess the outcome boils down to which Stafford AND which Cousins shows up.

Not an ideal week for Zack Brown. Trash talks Cousins last Wednesday, plays lousy on Sunday and gets released on Monday. Way to go Zack!

Detroit is a good team, refs screw them in both the Chiefs and Packers game. I expect a close competitive game, especially now the Lions are in a must win situation.

The NFC North is the best, most competitive division in the NFL. There is no really dominate team. With that said. I think the Lions win 21 to 17. Vikings 3rd division road lost.

Hope I am wrong.

VikeFanInEagleLand wrote: ↑Thu Oct 17, 2019 11:07 am I think that most of the league thinks that what the Philly LB said last week is true...that Cousins is the weakest link on the Viking offense. And along with that thinking, they will come into games with more of the defensive philosophy of stopping the run first and putting the offensive game in the hands of Cousins. Cousins is going to need several more weeks of performing like he did the last two weeks, and against some some better defenses that can bring pressure, before that philosophy changes. So I guess the outcome boils down to which Stafford AND which Cousins shows up.

I think the OL of ours is the weakest link and yes the LB was right Cousins is a weak link. He needs to be replaced. You said it much better than me. Neither of these QBs can be trusted to perform well. It's a coin toss. IMO every QB struggles when the pressure is too much. That's why I would try and hit Stafford right from the start. Send 6. He'll fold. I'm sure the Lions will do the same to Cousins. The Eagles can't apply pressure. The Giants can't either. Can the Lions? I'm not looking it up but probably not.