Sep 29, 2024; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) cheers as he leaves the field following the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images.
The Minnesota Vikings will encounter one of their most important games of the 2024 campaign this weekend, hosting the 4-1 Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium, a game that will establish a clear NFC Super Bowl contender.
The winner will be catapulted to the top of the conference, sharing space with the San Francisco 49ers per the court of public opinion, while the loser will be tasked with “figuring it out” thereafter.
And according to ESPN, Minnesota will defeat Detroit and cover the current two-point spread.
“The Lions destroyed the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6, holding Dak Prescott and the Cowboys’ offense to nine points. However, Detroit lost its best defensive player, edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, and is dealing with other significant injuries on defense,” ESPN’s Anita Marks wrote Monday.
If Vikings-Lions feels different this go-round, it’s because both teams haven’t reached the postseason in the same year since 1999. It’s been 25 years. They’re rarely this good … together.
Marks added while choosing Minnesota to cover the two-points spread: “The Vikings are coming off a bye week after a trip to London and look to stay undefeated at home. They have had plenty of time to game plan for this important division showdown. The line opened up at -1/-1.5 across the market.”
Minnesota’s defense ranks first in the NFL per DVOA and EPA/Play at the moment. That’s the enterprise’s calling card in the first five games, and all eyes will turn to this week’s purple injury report. Minnesota is scheduled to have tight end T.J. Hockenson back in the lineup against Detroit or Los Angeles for Thursday Night Football four days later versus the Rams.
All focus, too, this week is on Vikings tailback Aaron Jones. He injured his hip nine days ago in London, and the offense faceplanted without him. The veteran runner, however, was present at practice on Monday, a good omen for the weekend.
Detroit, meanwhile, will navigate life without the aforementioned Hutchinson, arguably the sole merchant of its pass rush and the soul of the defense. The Lions also lost former Vikings outside linebacker Marcus Davenport to injury weeks ago. It’s slim pickings on the edges of Detroit’s defensive line.
The Lions have beaten the Vikings thrice consecutively, a streak that hadn’t occurred since the 2016 and 2017 seasons. They haven’t taken down the purple team four times in a row since the early 1960s.
And ESPN’s Anita Marks doesn’t think they’ll do it again.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.