Coming off a big win in Week 2, here are three key matchups for the Detroit Lions in Week 3 against the division rival Minnesota Vikings.
A season ago, it took the Detroit Lions until Week 13 to claim their first win of the year. This year, win No. 1 for the year came Week 2, in a thrilling game against the Washington Commanders.
Now the focus shifts to the division rival Minnesota Vikings in Week 3. Last year Detroit split the season series with the Vikings, with both games ending on a game-winning score as time expired. In Week 5, Greg Joseph hit a 54-yard field goal to give the Vikings a 19-17 win. And in Week 13, every Lions fan remembers Amon-Ra St. Brown’s touchdown as time expired to lift Detroit to their first win under Dan Campbell.
This year, Minnesota shook things up. They fired Mike Zimmer and brought in Kevin O’Connell as the new head coach. Through two weeks Minnesota has had mixed results. In Week 1, they had very impressive first half and held on to beat the Green Bay Packers. Then in Week 2, they had a rough game against the Philadelphia Eagles and were beaten rather handily in hostile territory on Monday night.
With both of these NFC North teams sitting at 1-1 heading into this divisional clash, there is pressure on both sides to get a win. So who or what will be the difference maker on Sunday? Here are three key matchups to watch.