Detroit Lions vs. Minnesota Vikings: Complete game guide and 3 things to watch in Week 17 matchup
● What: Detroit Lions vs. Minnesota Vikings
● When: Thursday, Dec. 25, 4:30 p.m.
● Where: U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minn.
● How to watch: Netflix/CBS (Eagle/Brees/Ross/Russini)
● How to listen: 97.1-FM The Ticket in Metro Detroit or any number of network affiliates around the state.
● Line: Lions -7.5
● Injury report: Detroit ruled out safety Avonte Maddox (back) on Wednesday, and listed nearly a dozen players as questionable for the contest, including receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, defensive tackle Alim McNeill and guard Christian Mahogany.
● Officiating assignment: Shawn Smith’s crew.
● Last meeting: The Vikings’ pass rush gave the Lions fits in Week 9, racking up five sacks in a 27-24 victory that directly led to offensive coordinator John Morton being stripped of play-calling duties.
Three things worth watching
● Whether it’s Graham Glasgow back at center or Kingsley Eguakun getting a second consecutive start, everything begins with Detroit’s ability to handle Minnesota’s aggressive pass-rush scheme that stresses the interior of the offensive line and the running back in protection.
In the last meeting, Jahmyr Gibbs got too frequently tasked with picking up blitzers as the Vikings not only sacked Jared Goff five times, but hit Detroit’s quarterback 11 times total.
The Vikings will be without their best pass rusher, Jonathan Greenard, after he landed on injured reserve a week ago. That undeniably helps. However, if the Lions can’t diagnose what the defense is doing before the snap, particularly with the stress they like to put on the A gaps, it could be another long day.
● This game is going to be about pride and football character for the Lions. After getting mauled by the Rams and Steelers on the ground the past couple of weeks, and repeatedly brutalized by big plays in the passing game all season long, it would be nice to see the defense show some fight, even if getting into the playoffs is now little more than an unrealistic long shot.
Detroit gave up 1,000 yards of offense and 70 points in losses to the Rams and Steelers. Within that tally, 389 yards have come on the ground, with the two opponents averaging a guady 6.9 yards per carry.
That’s embarrassing for a unit that was built to stop the run.
The Vikings will trot out an undrafted rookie at quarterback this week. On top of that, the north-south component of the team’s backfield tandem, Jordan Mason, has been ruled out with an ankle injury. Even if the Vikings still have one of the league’s better receiving tandems, there’s absolutely no reason the Lions defense shouldn’t be able to get back on track this week, other than a lack of heart.
● Speaking of ground games, Detroit’s is off track. Way, way off track. In this city, we take a lot of pride in 313, but not when it’s your rushing yard total the past four weeks, including a historically awful 15-yard effort against the Steelers last week.
When the Lions can’t run the ball, they've been dead in the water this season. In six of the team’s seven losses, they’ve been held under 100 yards rushing. And in five of those, they been kept to 3.5 yards per carry or worse.
In the early loss to the Vikings, the opposition unsurprisingly met those thresholds.