5 Bold Predictions for Minnesota Vikings' Week 2 Matchup

The Minnesota Vikings will attempt to shake off an ugly season opener when the team hosts the Detroit Lions in Week 2. 

Both Minnesota and Detroit are coming off bad losses on the West Coast, with the Vikings going down hard in San Francisco and the Lions coughing up a 21-3 first-half lead to the San Diego Chargers. Neither team will want to fall to 0-2 to kick off the 2015 season. 

Over the last couple of days, we've looked at the Vikings' stock report and addressed some adjustments Minnesota needs to make for Sunday. In the following slides, we'll provide five bold predictions for when the Vikings and Lions kick off in Week 2. 

The Run Defense Will Be Much Better

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Given how effortlessly the 49ers rushed for 230 yards on Monday night, it feels like a stretch to predict the Vikings will suddenly tighten up and stonewall the Lions in Week 2. But it should happen for two reasons. 

For starters, head coach Mike Zimmer knows exactly what went wrong in San Francisco. His front seven was frequently punched in the mouth, but the Vikings also handed the 49ers free yards with technique errors along the defensive line. Expect Zimmer to get these issues cleaned up. 

More importantly, the Lions aren't a team built to run the football like the 49ers. San Francisco lined up in big packages and rammed the ball down Minnesota's throat. Detroit's offense isn't designed to do the same. The Vikings will look like a better run defense when the physicality is evened up in the trenches. 

Big Bounce Back for Teddy

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Yes, the Lions have been responsible for five of Teddy Bridgewater's 13 career interceptions. Detroit pretty much had its way with the young quarterback last season, sacking him 12 times and holding him to a passer rating of 64.5. 

Bridgewater was also shaky in his 2015 debut in San Francisco. 

However, the dominant Lions defense of 2014 isn't the one he'll see Sunday. Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers completed 83.3 percent of his passes and threw for over 400 yards against Detroit in Week 1. He made quick decisions and let his receivers chew up yards after the catch.

Bridgewater must replicate what Rivers accomplished.

The second-year quarterback looked rushed and uncomfortable against the 49ers, but expect offensive coordinator Norv Turner to give him more opportunities for quick, safe progressions against the Lions. He'll look more like the composed, accurate Bridgewater we saw to end the 2014 season. 

Blitzkrieg on Matthew Stafford

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Pressure on Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford will be a huge factor in whether the Vikings beat Detroit Sunday. 

Minnesota should be able to generate disruption through the front four, especially against a more traditional pocket passer like Stafford. But also expect Mike Zimmer and defensive coordinator George Edwards to bring some different blitz looks. 

According to Pro Football Focus, the Vikings sent a combined 18 blitzes (12 in the first meeting, six in the second) at Stafford last season. Pressure was especially effective in the first game, when the Vikings registered four sacks and held Stafford to just 185 passing yards. 

The Vikings struggled in disrupting Colin Kaepernick via the blitz in Week 1, but Minnesota shouldn't shy away from it. Keeping Stafford under pressure is the best way to combat a Lions offense packed with playmakers. 

Ameer Abdullah Will Hurt the Vikings...as a Receiver

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The Vikings better know where No. 21 is at all times Sunday.

Ameer Abdullah, a rookie running back for the Lions, is a big play waiting to happen every time he touches the ball. While the Vikings will likely do a better job handling him in the run game than Carlos Hyde, don't bank on Minnesota being able to completely take away Detroit's shiny new toy. 

The Lions have a passing offense based around getting the ball to several different targets, including receivers Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate and emerging tight end Eric Ebron. But you can't sleep on the running backs, especially Abdullah. 

He's only one game into his NFL career, but it appears few in the game can match his ability in space. The Lions will likely look for all kinds of ways to get Abdullah matched up against a linebacker in the passing game. 

A year ago, Theo Riddick led the Lions in receiving yards during a 17-3 win over the Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium. Abdullah is certainly capable of replicating the trick Sunday. 

If the Vikings Win, It Won't Be Pretty

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If the Vikings are to even their record at 1-1, it will likely take an unpleasant, grind-it-out win. 

A season ago, the Lions won in Minnesota 17-3 and in Detroit 16-14. Both were ugly games between two division rivals well-versed in the way the other went about its business. 

The expectation should be the same for Sunday. Both the Vikings and Lions appear to have issues along the offensive line, and you'd assume both defenses are ready to wash away the taste of Week 1. Points may be at a premium. 

Neither aesthetics nor the scoreline matter. In a division game, all wins are created equal. The Vikings just need to find a way to get their first win of 2015, no matter how unsightly the 60 minutes look.