Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your point of view) illness prevented me from posting a preview for the Titans game so this Vikings preview will begin with reflections on the two road defeats that have preceded this second home game of the season.
It would not be unfair to reflect that the Lions could have won both the games, rather than lose them as they did, as the chances were definitely there for them to win, make no mistake about that. The truth was though that despite there being more than a decent opportunity to win both of these games the Lions never looked like doing so. They failed to take advantage of a fairly lacklustre display from the 9ers, who having established their dominance early on chose to play out the game without really stretching themselves, and having given themselves an undeserved chance to steal the Titans game in OT with Young's fortuitous Hail Mary catch they then conspired to make a mess of a supposed attempt to drag the Titans offside. For me there were worrying signs with each element of the team that I believe the coaching staff would be unwise not to address. A 1-2 record is not cause for panic but a defeat to the Vikings would leave the Lions 1-3 going into an early bye week with road games at the Eagles and Bears when they resume playing meaning a 1-5 start is a distinct possibility. Victory today is essential if this Lions season is not to quickly derail and start undoing all the progress that has been made over the last few years.
An offense takes its rhythm from its quarterback and this season Matthew Stafford has definitely been out of synch. It could be that given last year was effectively his first season as a QB in the pros, given injury had curtailed the previous two years, he is suffering from the not uncommon condition known as the sophomore slump. It is perhaps more likely that he has been suffering from minor injury problems that have affected him enough to put him out of his usual comfort zone. Certainly he will be playing a little gimpy against the Vikings following the hip injury that saw Shaun Hill's entry late in the Titans game. Injured or not Stafford will have to find a way of bringing some life into the Lions offense. In his debut appearance Mikel LeShoure showed that he is capable of providing the balance that was lacking last year so it will be up to Stafford and Linehan to mastermind an effective dismantling of the Vikings D. The Vikings may be rebuilding but there is still enough talent on the team to make them a difficult opponent and divisional rivals should always provide a stern test for a team. Brandon Pettigrew is someone who, I believe, needs to repay his coaches faith in him with a strong performance this week. Too many drives have broken down with Pettigrew drops or failed catches over the last few years and he needs to start playing consistently at the level he is capable of rather than dipping short of it when he needs to be stepping above it.
If the offense has been out of synch then the defense has been wholly disappointing. The much vaunted |D-Line has been noticeable by its general ineffectiveness as opposing QB's have had time to pick apart what has looked an even weaker Lions Secondary than we're used to seeing. With Williams out injured for this game it is time for the high first round picks Suh and Fairley to show up. The Vikings young QB Christian Ponder has shown that he is more than capable of moving his offense up the field and Adrian Peterson is still among the best backs in the league. The Lions front 7 has been generally poor and if it is not able to generate some pressure on Ponder as well as restrict Peterson on the ground then this game could well go the way of the Vikes in a hurry. The return of Louis Delmas cannot come soon enough for a defensive backfield that is looking well short of what is required in the NFL let alone from a unit expected to form part of a playoff team. This Secondary group, with its coverage abilities, is not going to provide additional seconds for the D-Line & LB's to get to the QB. The onus is very much on the D-Line to get to the QB before he can set himself and pick his targets at will.
The performance of Special Teams is always particularly disappointing, given that it is generally made up of players fighting to make/stay on the team, more so when there are players we have on the roster, mainly at LB and DB, that are essentially on the team for their Special Teams abilities. Nick Harris has returned for the injured Ben Graham at punter so there shouldn't be a drop off in the punting game. The coverage unit and the returning of Logan continue to be major concerns though and it would be a marked improvement if they could step to a level where they didn't affect the game. I've all but given up hope of them affecting the game in a positive way so just hope they don't affect the game adversely for us.
All the pointers from both teams games so far suggest that this will be a close game and I don't think I am going to ignore these indicators. In a close game the advantage should be the home field and the crowd so I'm going to say the Lions win a close one in which they are steady rather than spectacular. I will add the rider though that I can see signs that this team has the potential to implode and so am fearful the wheels could come off spectacularly at any stage.
Prediction: Vikings 23 LIONS 27
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