Vikings vs. Lions: Full Minnesota Game Preview

Following an ugly victory over the Kansas City Chiefs (1-5), the Minnesota Vikings (3-2) will head to Ford Field this weekend for a divisional matchup with the Detroit Lions (1-5).

The Lions snapped a five-game losing streak last week, taking down the Chicago Bears (2-4) in overtime 37-34. Quarterback Matthew Stafford finally looked like himself again, tossing four touchdowns and throwing for over 400 yards en route to Detroit's first victory of the season.

Minnesota will aim for a season sweep of Detroit this Sunday, as the Vikings topped the Lions 26-16 at TCF Bank Stadium in Week 2. The early-season victory moved the Vikings to 70-36-2 all time against the Lions, making win No. 71 the goal this weekend.

This is a must-win game both for the Vikings and Lions, as Minnesota aims to prove it is a realistic playoff contender while Detroit hopes to keep its season alive for at least another week.

Location: Ford Field, Detroit

Time: Noon CT/1 p.m. ET

TV: Channel 9 FOX KMSP (Local)

Week 6 Results and Recap

Jim Mone/Associated Press

Despite losing superstar running back Jamaal Charles to an ACL injury during a Week 6 contest with the Bears, the Chiefs put up a pretty good fight against Vikings this past Sunday.

Following a red-zone interception on Minnesota's first offensive drive of the game, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater responded nicely, guiding the Vikings down the field for 13 unanswered points.

Tight end Kyle Rudolph sandwiched touchdown catch No. 2 of the season between a pair of Blair Walsh field goals to give the Purple and Gold a two-score advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

Minnesota's defense had been stingy for the contest's first three 15-minute periods before Alex Smith finally found a rhythm. After kicker Cairo Santos put the Chiefs on the board with a 48-yard field goal, the Kansas City signal-caller gutted the Vikings defense with a 42-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Albert Wilson to bring the Chiefs within a field goal.

Bridgewater, having thrown interception No. 2 of the day on the previous drive, responded well again by driving Minnesota into field-goal range immediately following the Kansas City score. Walsh then drilled his third field goal of the day, giving the Vikings a 16-10 advantage that they would ultimately not relinquish.

Rookie defensive end Danielle Hunter forced a Charcandrick West fumble immediately following a long completion from Smith to Travis Kelce, and Brian Robison recovered the loose ball to stifle the Chiefs' first threat of a fourth-quarter comeback.

Cornerback Xavier Rhodes closed out the game with a pair of pass defenses during Kansas City's final chance to even the score, and Bridgewater kneeled out the clock to earn win No. 3 of the season.

NFC North Standings

Team	W	L	T	PCT	DIF	GB
Green Bay Packers	6	0	0	1.000	+63	-
Minnesota Vikings	3	2	0	.600	+13	2.5
Chicago Bears	2	4	0	.333	-59	4
Detroit Lions	1	5	0	.167	-52	5

News and Notes

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Stefon Diggs Could Remain a Starter

Rookie Stefon Diggs may have claimed a starting wide receiver spot after catching 13 balls for 216 yards over the past two weeks. According to Ben Goessling of ESPN.com, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said he hasn't decided yet whether Diggs or Charles Johnson will start this Sunday, assuming the latter is healthy.

"You don't lose your starting job because of injury, but you do lose your starting job because of performance," coach Mike Zimmer said, before adding he hadn't decided who would start Sunday against Detroit if Johnson is healthy.

Simply put, Diggs has earned the right to start in Minnesota, but it's hard to argue with Zimmer's logic here. The Vikings entered the season with Johnson as their No. 2 wide receiver on the depth chart, believing he was the perfect match to play opposite Mike Wallace.

Through three games, however, Johnson has tallied just six receptions for 46 yards in 2015, opening up the "performance" debate that Zimmer alluded to.

It will be interesting to see how Minnesota handles this situation, but benching Diggs after back-to-back standout performance appears to have mistake written all over it—especially considering the rookie is just 40 receiving yards behind Wallace for the team lead with three fewer games played.

Josh Robinson Returns to Practice

According to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, cornerback Josh Robinson has returned to Vikings practice, giving Minnesota three weeks to activate him from the physically unable to perform list.

“He’s finishing up some tests today,” Zimmer said. “We anticipate that everything will finish good.”

Robinson, who played in all 16 games for the Vikings in 2014, had been inactive since late July due to a pectoral injury. He will return to a crowded cornerback group, led by Xavier Rhodes, Terence Newman and Captain Munnerlyn.

Given the surplus of talent at the position, as the Vikings also boast rookie Trae Waynes and Jabari Price at cornerback, the Vikings will likely ease Robinson back into the swing of things.

Once he is caught up to speed from a physical standpoint, the fourth-year defensive back will likely be used in relief of Newman on the outside, as Robinson proved during the Leslie Frazier era that slot cornerback is not his strong suit.

Shamar Stephen Placed on IR; Vikings Sign Kenrick Ellis

According to Vikings.com, Minnesota recently placed second-year nose tackle Shamar Stephen on injured reserve and signed free-agent defensive tackle Kenrick Ellis as a replacement.

Stephen, who has played a relief role for the Vikings in his one-plus seasons with the team, had been slowed by a knee injury suffered in training camp this season. The injury isn't a catastrophic blow by any means, but the hulking nose tackle had been effective in his assigned duties through 21 career games.

Ellis, despite not participating in a regular-season contest in 2015, received snaps in 47 games during four years with the New York Jets from 2011-14. He has recorded 53 combined tackles and one sack throughout the duration of his NFL career.

Bonus News and Notes

The following list is composed of general team information, updates and matchup-specific statistics relating to Minnesota's Week 7 contest with Detroit.

• Mike Wallace compares Stefon Diggs to Antonio Brown (via Matt Vensel, Star Tribune)
• Mike Zimmer says Vikings handled Everson Griffen illness correctly (via Goessling, ESPN.com)
• Wallace says Vikings "have most meetings ever" (via Goessling, ESPN.com)
• Captain Munnerlyn admits Zimmer was right (via John Holler, Scout.com)
• Jeff Locke set on teaching Blair Walsh about Star Wars (via Goessling, ESPN.com)
• Adrian Peterson to Golden Tate: "Suck it up" (via Justin Rogers, MLive.com)
• Vikings-Lions history (via Christopher Gates, Daily Norseman)
• Vikings lack "killer instinct" (via Aldo Gandia, NFC North Bar Room)

Latest Injury News

Tom Dahlin/Getty Images

Player	Position	Injury
Matt Asiata	RB	Rib
Adrian Peterson	RB	Finger
Jarius Wright	WR	Hand
Charles Johnson	WR	Rib
T.J. Clemmings	OT	Knee
Everson Griffen	DE	Illness
Justin Trattou	DE	Foot
Sharrif Floyd	DT	Knee/Ankle
Terence Newman	CB	Ankle

All injury information courtesy of Vikings.com.

The Vikings released a rather extensive injury report this week, featuring a multitude of notable names and at least a couple of reasons for concern.

Both Jarius Wright and Charles Johnson were full participants during Wednesday's practice, meaning Johnson should return to the field this Sunday—assuming he isn't completely replaced by Stefon Diggs.

Adrian Peterson, Matt Asiata, Terence Newman and T.J. Clemmings were all limited participants on Wednesday, but there has not been an indication that any of the four will be inactive in Detroit.

Justin Trattou, who has not played since Week 2, did not practice on Wednesday and may be forced to miss his fourth consecutive game. With that said, he may very well have been a healthy scratch given rookie Danielle Hunter's strong performance against the Chiefs.

The major concerns here are with defensive end Everson Griffen and defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd, as both players did not practice on Wednesday.

According to Ben Goessling of ESPN.com, Griffen missed Minnesota's matchup with the Chiefs due to heart-related issues. However, Goessling also noted that the Vikings' sack leader in 2014 is expected to be back to practice on Thursday, which appears to be to a good sign for Sunday.

Floyd, on the other hand, is currently suffering from multiple injuries, specifically to his knee and ankle. Minnesota's big defensive tackle did tweet reason for optimism late on Wednesday afternoon after missing practice:

"

great To Be a Viking #Skoooooool

— Sharrif Floyd (@sharriffloyd) October 21, 2015"

While he does not address his injuries specifically, Floyd's outlook on life does not appear to be one of a player expecting to miss this weekend's game.

As a whole, the Vikings' current injury situation appears to be more precautionary than anything, and Minnesota may actually prove to be healthier this coming Sunday than it was in Week 6.

Key Matchups

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

CB Xavier Rhodes vs. WR Calvin Johnson

As it was in Week 2, cornerback Xavier Rhodes against wide receiver Calvin Johnson will be a major in-game matchup to keep an eye on.

During their first meeting, Matthew Stafford targeted Johnson 13 times with Rhodes in coverage, per Pro Football Focus, with Megatron coming down with seven catches for 62 yards and a touchdown.

Considering the amount of targets, Rhodes was able to do a pretty good job of covering one of the NFL's elite pass-catchers, and the touchdown catch could easily have been ruled out of bounds—or called back for holding, for that matter.

After performing fairly well against Johnson in Week 2, one would assume that Rhodes will once again shadow Detroit's No. 1 target all over the field again this Sunday. If Rhodes can put together another strong performance against Megatron, Minnesota will have a great chance to win this football game.

RB Adrian Peterson vs. Lions' Defensive Front Seven

Coming off one of the worst performances of his career, from a per-carry average standpoint, Adrian Peterson will likely be running with a chip on his shoulder in Detroit. Earlier this season, Peterson rushed for 134 yards on 29 attempts against the Lions, and it should not come as a surprise if he repeats a similar performance on Sunday.

He may not be the player he once was, but Peterson remains the focal point of the Vikings offense and will continue to be used as such in order to control the tempo of the game.

Peterson has averaged 107 yards and scored 11 touchdowns in 13 career games against the Lions and shouldn't have much of an issue building on these totals in Week 7.

Vikings Linebackers vs. RB Theo Riddick

The Vikings, particularly Eric Kendricks, had no true answer for running back Theo Riddick the first time these two teams met.

According to Pro Football Focus, Riddick was targeted four times with Kendricks in coverage, catching all four balls for 30 total yards. He also added another catch and 11 yards on two targets with Anthony Barr in coverage.

Minnesota, which did a nice job slowing down Johnson and Golden Tate during Week 2, will look to improve against Riddick this Sunday, as the pass-catching running back has become more of a focal point of Detroit's offense in recent weeks.

Matchup X-Factors

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Vikings X-Factor of the Week: LB Eric Kendricks

As always, any number of players could fit in this slot for the Vikings. Given his subpar performance against the Lions earlier this season, however, Kendricks gets the nod for Week 7.

Kendricks, a coverage specialist coming out of UCLA, struggled mightily attempting to contain Theo Riddick in the first Vikings-Lions matchup of the season. The rookie linebacker has improved astronomically since this point and will have a chance to put his skills to the test in Detroit this weekend.

Xavier Rhodes and Captain Munnerlyn are expected to be in charge of Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate, respectively, which puts Detroit's two greatest offensive weapons in good hands. If Kendricks can limit Riddick as well, Matthew Stafford will have a tough time finding open receivers, putting Minnesota in pole position for a 2015 sweep of the Lions.

Lions X-Factor of the Week: DE Ziggy Ansah

According to Pro Football Focus, the Lions recorded 12 pressures and one sack on Teddy Bridgewater when Minnesota and Detroit met back in Week 2. The lone Lion to bring down Bridgewater was defensive end Ziggy Ansah.

In addition to recording a sack, Ansah also finished the game with five stops in run defense, being one of the few Detroit defenders to slow down Adrian Peterson.

Simply put, Ansah was the only Lions defensive lineman to put together a standout performance against Bridgewater, Peterson and the Vikings the last time these two teams met. If Minnesota can keep Ansah from getting to Bridgewater and limit his impact in the running game, there simply is not enough talent on Detroit's defensive line to slow down Minnesota's offensive game plan.

Prediction: Vikings 24, Lions 16

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Road matchups have presented an issue for the Vikings during the Mike Zimmer era, but this specific divisional contest marks an opportunity to turn this train around.

Detroit has essentially led a one-dimensional offense this season, with even its lone victory coming by way of airing it out all over a subpar Bears secondary. The Lions will almost certainly attempt to get the ground game going against the Vikings, but this effort did not work out too well the last time these two teams squared off, with Detroit finishing the game with a pitiful 38 rushing yards.

Adrian Peterson should rebound well from his feeble performance against the Chiefs last weekend, allowing Minnesota to control the tempo of the game and wear down Detroit's defense. This combined with a more efficient day from Teddy Bridgewater and another strong defensive performance should help Minnesota claim a season sweep of Detroit.

There is no such thing as an easy divisional contest in the NFL, but this is definitely a road matchup the Vikings should be able to win. Look for Bridgewater and Co. to beat the Lions defense for multiple touchdowns, as Minnesota moves to 4-2 on the season.

All statistics courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted.