5 Detroit Lions who must play well in Week 3 against the Vikings

1. LB Alex Anzalone (and Malcolm Rodriguez)

After failing to get him going against the Eagles in Week 2, it’s fair to assume the Vikings will look to get Dalvin Cook involved early and often on Sunday. He is one of the top dual-threat backs in the league, and through two games Anzalone has taken on primary coverage responsibility on running backs for the Lions.

Anzalone has to be sticky on Cook in coverage, and finish plays in the run and pass game against Cook (and all the Vikings backs, for that matter). If he gets caught making false steps or being slow to process, the Lions will get gashed by Cook in both facets.

Rodriguez gets a secondary mention here. Beyond Anzalone playing all-around on the second level, the rookie will be a critical component of Detroit holding Cook in check and putting the Vikings’ offense on the arm of Kirk Cousins.

A huge key, and perhaps the biggest key, for the Lions’ defense on Sunday will be limiting Cook’s impact to put the Vikings’ offense off-schedule on a regular basis. The core of that effort will be the linebacking corps, led by Anzalone playing his best game as a Lion.