The Minnesota Vikings (5-2) are set to face the Detroit Lions (4-4) in their first home game since October 9th. The Vikings have faced some hard times as of late after losing their last two games to the Philadelphia Eagles and the Chicago Bears by double digits. And now the Vikings need the win against the Lions for ego and to maintain their top spot in the division.
While the Vikings offensive line is dealing with what could be compared to an all out meltdown, things didn’t look any better this week when offensive line coach Norv Turner resigned suddenly, leaving Pat Shurmar to take over. While the change could be effective long turn, don’t expect any miracles to happen against Detroit. But the immediate changes that need to happen are- stopping the run. The run game has been a mess; the Chicago Bears exposed the weak run game and took full advantage of it. Bears running back Jordan Howard rushed 26 times for 153 yards and caught four passes for 49 yards. And even worse than the weak run game is two- protecting Quarterback Sam Bradford. Bradford has been a punching bag as of late for defenses and this needs to stop. This needs to be Shurmur’s top priority since Bradford was sacked 11 times and hit really hard on many other throws. In order for Minnesota to score any points the offensive line needs to keep Bradford upright and protect him at all cost.
One thing the Vikings didn’t have to worry about was their defense, until now. There isn’t a need to panic but Chicago beat them at every turn on Monday night and that cannot happen when they play the Lions. The Bears were able to score 20 points on a Vikings defense that only allowed 14.9 points per game and were able to get sacks in the first five games. There is no doubt in my mind that this defense is solid and tough and that this is just a rough patch, but they need to refocus, regroup and go back to the tightly ran ship they were before.
The Vikings has defied logic and all odds by being 5-2 this season. After everything this team has been through up until this week they should not be sitting at the top of the division, but they are, and they are for a reason. This is a tough team with an even tougher coach. There is no doubt that Minnesota will overcome this and continue to move forward.
Vikings: 21, Lions: 12
Watching the game? Here’s the info:
WHERE: FOX (Local channel 9)
TIME: Noon CST
LISTEN: KFAN-FM 100.3/KTLK-AM 1130 or ESPN Radio.
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