2. DE Za'Darius Smith
Smith clearly has more vitriol towards the Packers for how they parted with him, but the Vikings are also a "revenge game" for him. He's happy it worked out like it did, with all that's at stake.
"I was talking about it last week if Green Bay would have beat them, we would've gotten the division," Smith said, via Jared Ramsey of the Detroit Free Press. "But I was telling everybody, 'man, I'd rather have the division on this game'. Week 18, at home, 8 p.m., night game β the whole world will be watching. ... You're gonna get a lot of fire out of me for this game."
The Lions are definitely happy with what they've gotten from Smith since acquiring him from the Cleveland Browns at the trade deadline (three sacks, 31 pressures, two tackles for loss in seven games). But he also has a three-game sackless streak going, and a pass rush that is bottom-six of the league in sack rate (5.8 percent) needs him to get of that schneid this week.
When the idea of being traded to the Lions was brought up to him, Smith looked to these kind of games against the NFC North teams he previously played for. What amounts to a playoff game against the Vikings on Sunday night begs for him to be a difference maker.
1. CB Terrion Arnold
Arnold has largely cleaned up the penalty issues that plagued the start of his rookie season (three of 11 penalties since Week 4, and entering Week 17 he had the sixth-lowest catch rate allowed (57.1 percent) in the league among cornerbacks. A rough game against the 49ers put that catch rate allowed at 62.9 percent (per PFF), but that doesn't erase the good work he had been doing over the last several weeks.
Arnold doled out some bulletin board for the Vikings' wide receivers this week, via the Detroit Free Press.
"Weβre a bad matchup for Minnesota,β Arnold said. βWe got cover guys. They got good receivers, but we got cover guys.β
Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson had a more modest outing back in Week 7 (seven catches for 81 yards and a touchdown; two catches for 30 yards against Arnold, according to PFF), but in his career he has owned the Lions like he has owned no one else.
Jefferson moves around the formation as the Vikings hunt good matchups for him. Arnold will get plenty of 1-on-1s against him, as Aaron Glenn is unlikely to waiver from playing a lot of man coverage.
PFF highlighted the Arnold vs. Jefferson matchup in their look at the game.
"Arnold has logged a league-high 351 snaps in man coverage this season, a heavy workload that has resulted in six defensive pass interference penalties....His task this week? Slowing down Justin Jefferson, who leads the NFL with nine defensive pass interference calls drawn and averages 24.5 yards per reception against man coverage. The matchup could play a pivotal role in determining the game's outcome."
Arnold has to perform well against whoever he's lined up against on Sunday night, and he knows it.
"My best is yet to come, and I have to continue improving every game,β Arnold said, via Kory Woods of MLive this week. βMy teammates, my coaches, they rely on me heavy. And I was put in a position where Iβm counted on a lot, but I wouldnβt want it no other way.β