Detroit Lions Prediction: Week 3 Matchup Analysis Vs Minnesota Vikings

Quarterback:

The start of the season could not have gone any differently than Sean Hill and Brett Favre expected.  Hill has been thrust into the starting position because of Matthew Stafford’s shoulder injury and Brett Favre has led his team to a mere 19 points through two games.

Some are wondering if Brett Favre’s age has finally caught up with him, but the feeling here is that his struggles can be attributed to his ankle injury and injuries to his receiving core.

Edge: Vikings – Favre gets the nod here because Hill doesn’t get to play against the Lions secondary.

Wide Receivers:

This is an area where both teams have injuries, but only one team has Calvin Johnson.

Through two weeks Johnson has not put up the numbers that are expected of an elite wide receiver, but with the emergence of Jahvid Best and Brandon Pettigrew, teams are going to have to start shifting defensive resources away from Johnson.

That emergence is what he's been waiting for.

Both Percy Harvin and Bernard Berrian are listed as probable for this game and if they can’t go the Vikings offense will have trouble keeping up with the Lions.

Edge: Lions – Bryant Johnson will have to step up in the absence of Nate Burelson.

Running Backs:

Jahvid Best exploded on the scene last week with 232 yards of total offense.  He has also found the end zone five times in his first two games.  His rushing numbers are still not where one would like them to be and he will have to improve his per carry average.

In six career games against the Lions Adrian Peterson has averaged over 100 yards per game.  He has averaged 5.4 yards per carry in those games.

He will go up against a Lions defense that is 27^th against the run so far this year. 

Edge: Vikings – Peterson is one of the League’s premier RBs, Best will look to prove he belongs in that category as well

Tight Ends:

Tight end is another area where both teams posses a lot of talent.

Brendan Pettigrew is coming off a 100 yard receiving performance against the Eagles.  He will look to continue to build on that strong performance against the Vikings.

Visanthe Schiancoe is averaging over 16 yards a grab will keep getting balls thrown his way with the injuries the receivers are going through.

Edge: Even – Both teams should expect big games from their tight ends.

Offensive Line:

Detroit's interior line has played fairly well so far this year, the real issues however have come at the tackle position.  Both Jeff Backus and Gosder Cherilus have had bad moments and need to play at a higher level for the Lions to have consistent success on offense.  They will really be put to the test this week by the Vikings’ defensive line

The Vikings line anchored by Steve Hutchinson should be better than it has been.  They allowed three sacks of Brett Favre last week and had a big hand in allowing the Miami Dolphins to get a defensive score. 

Edge: Vikings – Even with all their issues, the Viking’s O-line is still superior to that of the Lions.

Defensive Line:

The Vikings defensive line has long been known as one of the best in the NFL, and certainly as the best in the NFC North.  This year however, Detroit’s line is challenging for the title as the best in the division.

So far this season the Vikings have only two sacks courtesy of their defensive line, meanwhile Detroit’s line has accounted for eight sacks.  Rookie DT Ndamukong Suh is tied for the team lead with two sacks.

Edge: Lions – If we were going by history than the Vikings would have the edge, but so far this year Detroit’s D-line has performed better.

Linebackers:

Detroit will finally have their starting MLB DeAndre Levy back in the lineup, but that happened just as the Lions lost OLB Zack Follett to a concussion.

E.J. Henderson’s comeback from a gruesome leg injury has been an uplifting story so far this year.  He is not only back playing football, when some thought his career is over, he is doing so at a high level.  Through the first two games this year he is second on the team with 16 tackles.

Edge: Vikings – This one isn’t even close.

Secondary:

Detroit’s secondary has been what everyone thought it would be prior to the start of the year, not good.  Teams know C.C. Browns' limitations in coverage and have started to exploit that weakness.

It seems every year Viking’s fans wonder what the team will do to replace Antoine Winfield, and all he does is consistently perform at a high level.  There are some injury concerns here but the Vikings are deep enough to overcome them.

Edge: Vikings – The weakest link in a weak defense for the Lions just doesn’t measure up to what the Vikings have in terms of talent in the secondary.

Special Teams:

Stefan Logan has injected a bit of life into the Lions return game but it is still one of the weakest in the NFL.  The Vikings have fared even worse than the Lions in both punt and kickoff returns.

Both teams have good veteran kickers.

Edge: Lions – It just seems like Detroit’s return game is ready to break out.

Prediction:

With the injuries and inconsistent play by Detroit’s linebackers, look for the Vikings to feature a heavy dose of Adrian Peterson.

The Lions haven’t won at the Metrodome so far this century and there doesn’t seem to be any reason to believe they will break that streak on Sunday.

I have picked the Lions to lose the first two weeks of the season and my head is telling me to pick the Vikings this week but my gut is saying otherwise.

Pick: Lions 31, Vikings 24 - Don’t ask me to explain it, I just have a feeling about this game.