***THANKSGIVING FEAST IN THE SWAMP - ROUND 1 - MINN @ DET***
***MINNESOTA VIKINGS @ DETROIT LIONS***
First I just would like to say Happy Thanksgiving to all of Swamp Nation! Let's do this:
The NFC North starts us off on with intriguing NFL three game slate this Thanksgiving as the Vikings seek revenge in Detroit against the Lions. Over the years, the NFC North has been dubbed the "Black and Blue Division," generally for its hard hitting and tough mystique, but this season it has surely taken on a different aspect as there is probably no other division in the NFL that has suffered more injuries as a whole. However, both of these teams have managed to make due and are both very much in the hunt to make a potential playoff run. Both teams are currently sitting with a 6-4 record and the Lions have the slight edge over the Vikings due to their previous victory in Minnesota where they managed to pull a rabbit out of a hat and steal a win in overtime after coming back to tie the game in the final seconds. This has now become the Lions identity after trailing in all 10 of their games so far and all 6 wins coming by a successful comeback in the fourth quarter. The Cardiac Cats will now look to fend off an angry Vikings team and take a commanding lead in the division with a sweep of the Purple People Eaters. This task is of course much easier said than done after the Vikings finally snapped their losing streak of five games after starting the season with a dominant 5-0 record. Minnesota was able to get off the schneid last week at home against Arizona with a complete team effort, scoring on both defense and special teams. These things seem to be necessary for the Vikes to win since their offense has really been struggling behind some seriously poor offensive line play. In Detroit, on Thanksgiving, things won't get any easier with protecting QB Sam Bradford as the Lions defense will surely be amped up and feeding off the home crowd's energy on the Prime Time stage. Lions DE Ezekiel is questionable but I am willing to say that I doubt he will miss this game and if he plays, I see him being a real problem in the backfield for Bradford. It looks as though the Vikings top WR Stefon Diggs will be out for this game which doesn't help matters either for Minnesota's offense. However, there has been a resurgence in WR Cordarrelle Patterson this season and I think he is finally ready to step up and be a more than just a kick returner and a factor in this offense. WR Adam Thielen and TE Kyle Rudolph have served as Bradford's safety blankets in the passing game as well so while the absence of Diggs is a big loss, Minnesota has the playmakers to fill in and produce. That being said, this Lions secondary is not the greatest and can be taken advantage of but I believe Detroit will get an effective and consistent pass rush on Bradford all game, continuing the woes for the Viking's offense.
Lions QB Matt Stafford will surely be under similar pressure from the heart and soul of this Vikings team, their defense. The Purple People Eaters will be hungry, and they will eat, and I foresee the Lions having just as much trouble moving the ball as the Vikings will experience. While Stafford has been stellar this season and the reason the Lions are in the position they are in, he will have a difficult time finding his targets in this secondary and will see blitzes from Minnesota's outstanding LB core all game. This Vikings defense is full of studs in all three levels, but they have softened up a bit since the beginning of the season when they led their team to that 5-0 start. Opposing QBs have been able to have some success against them lately, so it remains to be seen which Vikings defense shows up but I am leaning more towards the shutdown side in this one. To reiterate here, both QBs will struggle to move the ball through the air, and since both have zero running game - I will side with the better QB at home to come out on top. In what should be a hard hitting defensive battle, I think Stafford rises to the occasion and finds a way in this one. Now that the Vikings have gotten the monkey off their back with a big win last week, they come into today with some momentum and in the big national spotlight, will be ready to go. However, the Cardiac Cats while flawed, are extremely battle tested. In what should be a very close game throughout like the first time around and with first place on the line, I like them to buckle down and come out on top for the home crowd and really hype up the possibilities of the playoffs for Detroit Rock City.
LIONS-2
