Week 8 Staff Predictions – Vikings at Lions
A common phrase that has come up in recent years across many industries and personal lives is "stacking days." In this case, we will apply it to the Lions as "Stacking Weeks", and by that, we mean stringing together more than one week of solid defense play. It stared in Week 5 with a decent showing against the Cardinals, and it continued in Week 7 with an even better showing against the Packers. In week 8, the Lions have the chance to continue that improved defensive play against one of the worst offenses in the NFL in the Vikings.
The Lions find themselves once again in a familiar setting as the Jets game, with a Top 5 Defense against the Lions Top 2 offense. The Vikings are really good on paper (like the Jets), but they are even better in person, with Brian Flores constantly causing chaos and leading to all kinds of pressures, hurries and sacks from their Blitz-heavy scheme. Of note, the Lions have a couple of advantages here in that Jared Goff is the best QB in the NFL against the blitz this season and the Vikings, despite all that pressure, have the longest avg time to throw in the NFL at 3.00 seconds (2nd worst) and time-to-pressure at 3.02 slowest (4th worst). Goff, BTW, is averaging 2.84 Avg Time to Throw, so it's a good bet that ball will be gone before the pressure gets to him.
Both teams are incredibly healthy for this point in the season, with only backup TE for Vikings and potentially CB Roger McCreary for Lions being unavailable as both are questionable. Unfortunately, the officials will be the third-straight game for the Lions drawing a top 3 flag-happy Craig Wroilstad crew. Of note, they may throw a lot, but it's equal against both home and away, so expect both teams to pick up some yellow laundry.
As for our season-long pick-em competition, it's been a back-and-forth affair with Chris the leader at 5-1 this week via tiebreaker, being off by only 5 points from the Lions aggregate scores. Sharing the same record are Mickey (6 pts), Dan (11 pts) and Brent (19 Pts) with Mike (4-2) still looking for a way to make up that missed game even though he is only 1 pt off the total Lions scores.
This week, we finally see a departure from the leaders, as Mickey is going with the Vikings while the rest of the staff is sticking with the blue Kool-Aid and the Lions. The one thing most of us agree on, this will not be a high scoring game, with only Brent picking the winner to put up more than 30 (Lions with 31), while most of us were in the mid-20s and Mike thinks that the Lions will win with only 14 pts. Should be a hard-fought game either way, with the Lions #2 offense against the Vikings #1 Defense.
Mickey
Look, it kills me to write this. As a diehard Detroit Lions fan, my heart bleeds Honolulu blue, but I don't like the matchup this week. I figured the Lions would be 4-2 in the division this year and I think this could be one of the two losses. The Vikings defense is a nightmare right now, boasting a crew that allows a league-best 12.3 points per game. We scored just 20 last week against the Pack, but to compare the Viking D to theirs is like comparing a 5 star restaurant to an unsupervised toddler with a jar of mayonnaise. A lot of people don't know this name, as he hasn't done a ton in the pros until this year, but the guy that scares me is former first rounder Dallas Turner. He's been a one man wrecking crew so far this year - 6 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 18 QB hits. It is easy to say "Look who they've done it against", but there's another saying - "you can only play whoever is on your schedule."
Forgive me, fellow Lions fans, but while we’re focusing on how to beat that defense, Minnesota has a hidden weapon in special teams. Myles Price is a field-position killer, averaging over 30 yards per kickoff return with an 86-yard punt return touchdown already under his belt. Pair that with probably the best kicker not named Cam or Brandon - Will Reichard — who has made 37 of his last 38 field goals—and any mistake we make turns into points.
Last year they swept us, with Detroit turning the ball over 5x in Minnesota. We won't face that raucous Christmas Day crowd, but Brian Flores’ defense is tailor-made to force turnovers in bunches. We've avoided the turnover bug thus far, but at some point you know we're going to make some errors. I want nothing more than to be proven wrong, but I’m bracing myself for an ugly Viking victory. Please, Dan Campbell, make me eat these words.
Minnesota 23, Detroit 20
Dan
This game is eerily similar to the early season matchup with the NY Jets, where the Jets had a great defense (on paper) and a terrible offense. That one ended up with a Lions 31-24 win, and that was when the defense was at a low point in performance. The Vikings are not a great defense on paper, they are a great defense period, and are carrying this team. The Offense is bad despite having some really good weapons, but the defense is what allows teh team to sink or swim. It relies on a blitzing strategy that is so far outside the norms that teams simply dont know how to stop it. Last season, the Lions lost to two journeyman QBs because of that Defense, but they also were starting guys on the OL like an injured Decker (in Game 1) and in Game 2 the OL had Skipper, Equakan and injured Mahaoany along with TEs of Firkser and Ricci, which why they only put up 10 points at MIN.
This year brings a rebuilt Lions OL, a team full of dangerous weapons on offense and a QB that is the best in the NFL under the Blitz and making plays. Throw in a defense that is playing significantly better in the last few weeks, and I think the Lions will end up winning this game comfortably. Of note, OC Drew Petzing faced Flores in 2024 with the Cardinals, and put up 22 points but more importantly, 400+ yards. Officiating may come into play, and its likely Goff's non-turnover streak also ends, but I think the Lions play one of their best games on both sides of the ball and come away with a solid win.
Lions 24, Vikings 10
Brent
The Lions come into this game against the sole remaining undefeated team in the division. The Vikings are 6-0 and blitzing at an astronomical rate. The Lions look to spread the field, take advantage of 1:1s and break out against the Vikings. The Lions will look to isolate Jamo, Amon-Ra, LaPorta, and Teslaa creating a myriad of threats. The Lions defense improved the last couple of weeks and will look to hold the #32 offense in check and tighten up the division.
Lions 31, Vikings 17
Mike
The Vikings make their annual trip to Ford Field this weekend. They are 6-0 and are the only undrafted team in the NFL right now. They are really a tale of 2 teams, the Defense is #2 behind the Seahawks and their offense ranks 29th in the NFL right now. Quite the spread. There is no question Brian Flores is a Great D-Coordinator. They love to blitz and blitz in many different formations. This will be a challenge for the Lions O-Line. The Lions in the meantime have a great offense (3rd) and a bad but improving defense (still 32nd in some rankings). So, who wins? The high-flying offense or the elaborate defense? This will be another close one for the Lions and will be low scoring game (by Lions standards). The Home team is favored by 3.
Lions 14, Vikings 10
Chris
Minnesota is 6-0, and the offense looks like a group project where one person did all the work. That person is Brian Flores, whose defense blitzes on a ridiculous amount of dropbacks, tops the league in pressure rate, and still gives up the longest average time to throw. It is mostly a magic trick: seven guys crowd the line, then Van Ginkel drops into coverage and tries to take the throw Goff thought was free.
Drew Petzing needs answers before the snap and a few tricks after it, and screens, motion, and Gibbs finding soft spots in the zone should do the job. Stop Aaron Jones, make Kyler Murray throw 30 times, and Justin Jefferson won’t be doing the Griddy all afternoon in the end zone. It won't be pretty, but Detroit stays clean with the football and ends the Vikes streak politely. Bring a stress ball.
Lions 23, Vikings 19
Comments