Off the start, let’s throw out how the Lions themselves will perform against the Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers and Green Bay Packers in the final three games of the season. As any fan knows, they have been as unpredictable as any team in the league thus far.

However, there are some interesting bilines to this story; Week 14 may have opened up some doors for the Lions to take advantage of in their last push towards the playoffs. (more…)

Of all the significant factors that will play a role in the outcome of Sunday’s contest, the Lions’ inability to escape their own stupidity will be most crucial. Last week’s game in New Orleans served as evidence of how difficult it can be for a struggling team to overcome their own mental mistakes, especially when playing a superior team. It is debatable whether or not the penalties were the direct cause of the loss, but it is painfully obvious that a trend has started; one that will continue to plague this team if not corrected immediately.

I personally believe that the personal fouls, while grotesque and embarrassing to the organization, did not cost the Lions the game. With a quarterback like Drew Brees, and an injury depleted secondary forced to start the likes of Aaron Berry, even had Detroit taken the lead it would have proven difficult to keep it. That being said, this week’s matchup with Minnesota is a completely different story. The Vikings are not a superior team. In fact, they are one of the worst teams in the NFL, and by all accounts, have no business keeping this game close. A clean game from Detroit should easily lead to a 25 point victory. This is where the lack of composure can truly hurt. The constant battle to overcome long yardage situations, giving the opposition a new set of downs, all because of after the whistle penalties, can come with quite a cost. This is how good teams lose to bad ones. This is how playoff hopes are burned and buried, and progress is forgotten. A loss to the Vikings all but ends Detroit’s season, and Minnesota knows it. They have also undoubtedly watched the recklessness that Detroit has been playing with, and will use it to their advantage. The best chance the Vikings have of winning at Ford Field on Sunday is to sit back and let the Lions beat themselves.

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On Sunday the Lions will head to Mall of America Field where they hope to corral the NFL’s third ranked rushing attack. This contest will largely hinge on the battle between perennial Pro-Bowler Adrian Peterson, and newly acquired linebacker Stephen Tulloch. If the Vikings hope to win this divisional opener, Peterson must be the best player on the field. If the Lions plan on leaving Minnesota victorious for the first time since 1997, Tulloch must be the best player on the field. In the most simplistic terms, whoever holds the edge in this matchup will be the catalyst for their respective team’s victory. As is the case in most aspects of football, this will hardly be an individual battle between two players. The offensive and defensive line play will determine the pace and flow of the game, however, the game-changing plays will be determined by the outcome when Tulloch and Peterson find themselves in isolation.

The Viking offense is designed to chip away at a defense slowly, and wear them down throughout the course of the game. Once fatigue sets in, it is only a matter of time before one missed, or broken, tackle leads to the type of explosive run that Minnesota thrives on. Throughout the first two weeks Detroit has unintentionally employed a “bend but don’t break” style, that has largely relied on opportunistic turnovers. For this success to continue in Minnesota, Detroit must tackle well and limit Peterson’s yards per carry from reaching his current rate of 5.3. If Tulloch can wrap up consistently, and not allow Peterson the yards after contact that have become his trademark, the Lions’ defense should be able to keep from breaking, and have plenty of opportunities to get off of the field. Peterson may be able to gain small chunks of yardage, but if the Lions’ attacking defense can limit the big plays, the Vikings will have their fair share of third down passing situations, which Detroit can take advantage of. Limiting the explosive runs should allow for easy taming of Donovan McNabb and this Viking offense.

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