Sunday will see an NFC North matchup between the visiting Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions. The game is scheduled for a 1:00 pm EST start time and it will be televised live on FOX. Currently the odds have the Lions favored by 4 points.
First and foremost, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is still listed as questionable for this game today because of a leg in jury suffered late in the game last week against Tennessee. While that may be a major concern for most teams, the Lions actually have a really good backup in Shaun Hill, who has been a starter in this league.
Plus, Stafford has has health issues in the past and Hill has been forced to play a lot in his career with the Lions. In fact, last week he was the one that threw the final pass for Detroit to force the overtime. If he has to play, the Lions are going to feel comfortable. Plus, it's always nice to have the best offensive threat in football in Calvin Johnson on the team.
Also being impressive last week for the Lions was running back Mikel Leshoure, who could be a major impact player moving forward for Detroit. He's a big, powerful guy that can run between the tackles but still has the athleticism to bounce the ball outside and run away from people.
Last week, the 49ers rolled into Minneapolis and left with a loss. The Vikings could be very flat coming into today's game off that major win at home against arguably the best team in the NFC. Christian Ponder threw four TDs and no picks in that game. However, just lining up and throwing it against the Lions and their defensive front isn't going to work. You have to run the football to beat the Lions. However, Adrian Peterson hasn't been able to go above the 100-yard mark in eight straight games. The Lions do rank 11th in the NFL against the run.
Detroit swept this series last season, even after falling behind 20-0 at halftime to the Vikings in the first game. The second game saw Ponder throw three picks and losing a fumble as well. Detroit has played much better at home the past few seasons but in order to win games, they are going to have to win the turnover battle.
It seems as if every game in the NFL comes down to the turnover ratio and battle. The Lions last season forced more than 2 turnovers per game but this year have only been able to force three turnovers in three games. Plus they've given up more than 31 points per game this season. If they give up 31 points to the Vikings today, they won't win.
However, we think the Lions are going to be able to get it done inside Ford Field in front of a loud crowd. The Lions are a tough offense to stop and we don't think that Minnesota has the defense to be able to stop them from scoring points, even if Hill is the go-to guy for Detroit in this game. We think they'll cruise late in the second half.
Free Pick: Detroit 31, Minnesota 17
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