On its surface, it doesn’t look like the Detroit Lions have much of a challenge against the Minnesota Vikings. The Lions are well-rested off their bye and just took down a better Tampa Bay Buccaneers team to move to 5-2 on the season. The Vikings, on the other hand, were just absolutely manhandled by the Los Angeles Chargers (37-10) and now sit just 3-4 on the year.
However, things aren’t always as simple as they look. The Vikings will turn back to a healthier J.J. McCarthy on Sunday, plus they’ll have their two starting tackles back on offense. We know how different an offense can look when they are missing one tackle, let alone two. Minnesota will also be getting back edge defender Andrew Van Ginkel, who is an absolute difference-maker on defense. So with Minnesota healthier than ever, it could be a bigger challenge than it looks—especially considering the Lions are 8.5-point favorites.
So today’s Question of the Day is:
Who is the biggest threat to a Lions victory?
My answer: Offensively, it’s hard to pick anyone other than Justin Jefferson. Despite some pretty bad quarterback play, Jefferson is still averaging 86.0 yards per game (fourth in the NFL). And with the Lions still missing their top corner D.J. Reed, Jefferson will have to draw multiple defenders, even with Amik Robertson knowing his game well.
Defensively, Minnesota’s duo of pass rushers presents a pretty big threat. Van Ginkel is coming off an All-Pro season where he tallied 11.5 sacks and two pick-sixes. In just two games this season, he already has two sacks and two passes defended. On the other side is Jonathan Greenard, who sports one of the best ESPN pass rush win rates in the league despite just 2.0 sacks on the year. With Van Ginkel back, offenses cannot just key in on taking Greenard away, which should be a challenge to Taylor Decker on the left side of the offensive line.
Which Vikings player do you think the Lions will need to account for? Scroll down to the comment section and share your answer.
