The Detroit Lions face the Minnesota Vikings for the second time this year on Sunday, this time on their home turf.
The Lions dropped a close win in Minnesota during their Week 3 matchup earlier this season so they are definitely out for revenge. Detroit certainly struggled to win games early on, but has recently been on fire winning four of their last five games. The team is actually favorites heading into this game, making them the first 5-7 team to be favored over a 10-2 team in the Super Bowl Era. Head Coach Dan Campbell says their record doesn’t matter, it’s their preparation that will win them the game.
“It doesn’t matter what their record is, how good they are, or what the perception is. You have to practice a certain way, you have to prepare a certain way, you have to have the right gameplan, you have to make the right moves in a critical moment, can’t turn the ball over, got to get takeaways. It’s all the same recipe.”
This will be T.J. Hockenson’s first time battling his former team since he was traded to the Vikings. In a press conference earlier this week the tight end joked about ending up in the wrong locker room due to old habits. He commented on the matchup saying, “This is the first time so we’ll see how it goes.”
After seeing just a few snaps last week, Jameson Williams is expected to see more playing time. He’s a player everyone has been waiting to see take off for quite some time. Coaches and players have spoken very highly of him but it’s clear they are taking it slow. Another name expected to get some playing time today is Romeo Okwara. He was activated from PUP last weekend but wasn’t ready for game action just yet. This week, Coach Campbell says he’s ready to go.
Kick-off at Ford Field is set for 1pm ET.
Here are our Staff Picks and Score Predictions:
Braylon Edwards: Vikings 38, Lions 33
Ryan Ermanni: Lions 42, Vikings 17
Tom Mazawey: Lions 30, Vikings 21
Jeff Iafrate: Lions 31, Vikings 27
Eazy: Lions 34, Vikings 28
Neal Ruhl: Vikings 28, Lions 24
Maddy Miller: Lions 31, Vikings 28
Spencer Raxter: Lions 38, Vikings 24
Maddy Miller – Detroit Lions Beat Reporter
On Twitter: @madelynvmillerr