Detroit Lions vs. Minnesota Vikings: What Are the Experts Saying?
The Detroit Lions travel to the land of many (but not great) lakes to take on the Minnesota Vikings, and everyone seems to have an opinion about it.
Are they right? Are they wrong?
As usual, it's a little of both. Click to wade through the swamps of information on the Internet and to see what the spin really means.
A Bridge to the Future
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The Vikings have already played three quarterbacks this year, including reinserting colossal bust Christian Ponder into the lineup last week. The Lions, however, won't be so lucky as Teddy Bridgewater will be back under center this Sunday.
As Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press and head coach Mike Zimmer explain, Bridgewater is a problem for opponents:
"On the season, he's completing 62% of his passes. He hasn't thrown a touchdown nor interception this year, but Zimmer said he has won over the locker room with his work ethic and the way he carries himself.
'I think most of the veterans would tell you that Teddy is an extremely hard worker,' Zimmer said. 'I think they have a lot of respect for him, and obviously, they see his talent level as well. So I think the combination of all those things, and really, his demeanor: He's not a talkie, self-promoting kind of guy. And so I think, with all those things together, they feel good about him.'
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Bridgewater is the only competent quarterback the Vikings have even though he's only played in two games, starting one. In that solo start, he posted a 98.7 rating by completing 64.5 percent of his passes for 319 yards.
He should find tougher sledding versus Detroit's defense than the Falcons version he performed so well against. But there was a reason so many had him highly rated going into the 2014 NFL draft.
And he's proving those pundits right.
Kicked to the Curb
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The Lions have done enough positive things in two phases of the game to have four wins, and there's an argument to be had about a fifth. But not having a kicker has cost Detroit those opportunities.
So for the second time in this short season, the Lions had to cut a kicker, as Alex Henery was the victim this week. And the Lions wasted no time replacing him, signing Matt Prater of Denver Broncos fame, according to ESPN.com's Michael Rothstein (h/t Josh Katzenstein of The Detroit News).
Head coach Jim Caldwell wasn't speaking specifically of Prater when he disclosed the following to Katzenstein, but one would assume Caldwell had Prater in mind: "We've got to find a performer," Lions coach Jim Caldwell said Monday. "That's basically what we have to get done in that area. We've got to get a guy who's consistent under pressure and be able to put points on the board."
Prater was an All-Pro last year, missing only one of his 25 field-goal attempts. There isn't cause to doubt his talent.
The only reason he was available is due to some personal issues with alcohol. All reports, like this one from Rothstein, indicate that he's doing well and working hard to put his past behind him.
If he can do so, Detroit will have more confidence taking long field goals with the game on the line.
Keep Cordarrelle Roped In
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The Vikings are already down one offensive playmaker (Adrian Peterson) and haven't been able to figure out how to get a second one going. Carlos Monarrez of The Detroit Free Press had this to say: "Second-year receiver Cordarrelle Patterson continues to shine as a kick returner with a 28-yard average. But he hasn’t developed much as a receiver, and his production has stagnated with only 19 touches on offense through five games."
Monarrez went on to say that head coach Mike Zimmer and offensive coordinator Norv Turner will find a way to get him more involved and that his lack of production probably has to do with increased attention from the opposition.
That's spot on. And Detroit would be smart to key on him as well.
Last year, the Lions had a serious problem keeping contain against reverses, including giving up a 50-yard score to Patterson.
New defensive coordinator Teryl Austin seems to have that problem under control. In particular, when the Bills attempted to run one last week, both defensive end George Johnson and the linebacker had great contain and blew the play up.
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Don't Be Scared of the Air
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The buzz all week is not just that Calvin Johnson is out this week; it's been centered on how long he will be out.
That's a question to be answered on a different day, but everything points to Johnson missing the Vikings game. Joseph Gunther of CBS Minnesota gives the basics of what to expect:
"The Lions are a pass-heavy offense. They ranked 10th in the league in passing, but have not had a healthy Calvin Johnson for a few weeks. Recent reports indicate that he may not play for a few weeks.
Golden Tate is the go-to receiver with Johnson out. Without Johnson, the next leading non-running back receiver is wide receiver Jeremy Ross and tight end Eric Ebron. They have eight catches each for 121 and 80 yards, respectively.
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Even if Joique Bell returns (he practiced Wednesday), the Lions will still have to rely on the passing game to move the chains. They haven't been effective on the ground, and there's a reason Matthew Stafford had 173 more yards on third down than any other quarterback going into Week 5.
The impetus seems to be that this team can't survive without Johnson or the run game, but that's exactly what they did against the Jets when Stafford posted a 116.4 passer rating. As fellow Bleacher Reporter Jeff Risdon broke down, look for rookie Eric Ebron to get a larger role this week to make things easier.
All in the Family
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As always, we check in last with what Bleacher Report's experts told NFL Lead Writer Gary Davenport. While a small majority of the panelists selected Detroit to pull out a victory, Davenport broke down where the tipping point lies:
"With all the injuries to the Lions offense and Minnesota quarterback Teddy Bridgewater set to return to action it's a close vote, but just over half our pundits believe that Detroit's top-ranked defense will be enough to carry the team to victory.
A competent kicker would probably help, too.
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It's easy to understand why only nine of the 16 prognosticators took the Lions. Detroit has done enough to earn some trust, but a road game against a divisional opponent is a test this team hasn't yet passed.
Obviously, the above was written before the news broke that Matt Prater is now a Lion. It would be interesting to see if that changed anyone's decision.
As for me, the defense is a handful for any quarterback, much less a rookie. But that's the only teaser I'll give you for now. Be on the lookout for a full-game preview Friday morning.
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