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Detroit Lions vs. Minnesota Vikings: Preview, Start Time, TV, Live Stream

By Nate Williams

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The Detroit Lions will face their first divisional opponent of the 2015 season on Sunday when they head to Minnesota to take on Teddy Bridgewater, Adrian Peterson and the Vikings.

Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

When: Sunday – September 20, 2015 at 1:00 pm/ET

Where: TCF Bank Stadium – Minneapolis, Minnesota

TV: FOX 2 (Local)

Radio: WXYT-FM 97.1 The Ticket

Live Stream: NFL Sunday Ticket

It’s safe to say, the start of the season did not go as planned for either team as the headed for the west coast in week one. For the Lions, they were overcome by Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers after leading 21-3 in the second quarter. Two untimely Matthew Stafford turnovers in the second half certainly didn’t help Detroit’s chances any, as they would eventually fall 33-28.

Also at SLR: Detroit Lions Game 1 Film Review

For the Vikings, things didn’t go much better further up the California coast. In a game that many felt the Vikings should win despite being on the road, they were dominated by both the San Francisco 49ers defense and running back Carlos Hyde, also eventually losing their first game of 2015 by a final score of 20-3.

Playmakers

For both teams, one of the biggest keys to Sundays matchup will be getting their playmakers involved early and often — something neither team did well last week. For Detroit, look for rookie running back Ameer Abdullah to see an increase in workload as well as more targets thrown to wideouts Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate.

For Minnesota, expect to see heavy doses of Adrian Peterson after receiving just 10 carries for 31 yards on Monday Night Football. Peterson admitted after the game that it felt awkward taking handoffs from the shotgun, and offensive coordinator Norv Turner admitted that the team had to do more to get AP involved. The Lions could be up for quite the test Sunday as the future Hall of Famer sets out to prove that he is not rusty and that his time away from football did not negatively affect his abilities on the field.

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Injury Report

  • The following players have been listed on the Detroit Lions’ Injury Report: LB DeAndre Levy (hip) and TE Brandon Pettigrew (hamstring) did not participate in practice; DT Caraun Reid (ankle), CB Darius Slay (ankle), DT Haloti Ngata (shoulder) and WR Golden Tate (quad) were limited in practice; QB Matthew Stafford (right upper arm), G Larry Warford (ankle) and T LaAdrian Waddle (elbow) were full participants in practice. Game Status: Pettigrew is out. Levy is doubtful. Ngata and Reid are questionable. Slay, Stafford, Tate, Warford and Waddle are probable.
  • The following players have been listed on the Minnesota Vikings’ Injury Report: RB Jerick McKinnon (ankle) and DT Shamar Stephen (knee) were both full participants in practice. Game Status: Mckinnon and Stephen are probable.

Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell on the importance of winning Sunday to avoid starting 0-2

"“Yeah, you know, the history part of it to me doesn’t matter because every year is different, every team is different, those things. The importance of obviously winning, period, to us and the most important game for us is this game. Our focus is on this game and getting a victory, obviously that is the key. Those are the only things we worry about. We don’t worry about stats and statistics and what happened and who did what and all those kinds of things. It’s what we do that counts and our focus right now is making certain that we get ourselves in the best position to perform better than we did last week. So we have to be a better team this week than we were last week.”"

Nate Williams is an editor and columnist for SideLionReport.com of the FanSided Network. For More Detroit Lions news, rumors and analysis, be sure to follow him on twitter at @SLR_Nate!

Next: Detroit Lions vs Minnesota Vikings: What to Watch For

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