Minnesota Vikings: 11 Keys to Beating the Detroit Lions

It would appear the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions have switched roles within the NFC North Division, exchanging identities as the two clubs appear to be heading in different directions.

While the Vikings have struggled all season long and are in serious danger of finishing with the worst record in team history, the Lions, with a 7-5 record, are one win away from matching their win total of the previous three seasons combined.

Relegated to playing the spoiler role, the Vikings are looking for any bright spots upon which they can hang any hopes for a rebound in 2012.

In the meantime, the Lions are in the thick of the NFC playoff picture, tied with the Falcons and the Bears with the best record behind the division leaders. With one more win the Lions will have their best record since the 2000 season. Two more wins and the Lions will practically have a playoff spot wrapped up.

This is a rematch from Week 3, when the Vikings blew a 20-0 halftime lead at home, yielding 26 points to lose by a field goal in overtime. 

This time the Lions will have the home-field advantage. 

Everything points to an easy win for the Motor City Kitties—or does it?

With nothing to play for, the Vikings are in a great position to upset Detroit and end their current four-game losing streak.

Here are 11 keys for the Vikings to beat the Lions on Sunday.

History Is on the Side of the Vikings

Since the Minnesota Vikings joined the NFL in 1961 they have not defeated another team more than the Detroit Lions.

With a 66-32-2 record against Detroit, the Vikings have owned the Lions.

The Lions opened the rivalry with five straight victories over the Purple. Since then, their longest winning streak has only been a mere three games in 1991 and 1992.

On the other hand, the Vikings' longest streak over the Lions is 13 games. It started in 1968 and lasted until September 1974. 

Before the Lions' current two-game winning streak over Minnesota, the Vikings had won six straight and 20 of the last 22 meetings dating back to the 2000 season.

Sure, past performances are not an indicator of future performance, but these are the Lions, and the Vikings beat the Lions.

The Lions Cannot Handle Success

The Lions appear to be reverting back to their former selves.

After opening the season 5-0, they have struggled and have a 2-5 record since.

Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford opened the season with a 101.4 passer rating with 13 touchdowns and only four interceptions in leading the Lions to a perfect 5-0 record, including three road wins—matching the most in a season since 2004.

Since Week 6, Stafford has thrown fourteen touchdowns against 10 interceptions, and his passer rating for those games has dropped to 86.0—good, but inching closer to the 67.1 rating he had in his first two seasons when he threw 19 touchdowns and 21 interceptions in leading the Lions to a 3-10 record.

With two embarrassing losses at home against the Packers on Thanksgiving Day, and Sunday night at New Orleans, the Lions are on the tipping point. They could either regroup and take it out on the Vikings, or continue to struggle and lose a game they should win. 

I pick the latter.

Quarterback Christian Ponder Is Ready to Explode

Against the Denver Broncos Christian Ponder had the best passing game of the season for the Vikings.

Setting a Vikings rookie quarterback record with 381 passing yards, and despite two costly interceptions, Ponder finished with three touchdowns passes and a 90.8 passer rating.

With each game, Ponder is gaining valuable experience while establishing a bond with his receivers, especially Percy Harvin and fellow rookie Kyle Rudolph.

Speaking of Harvin...

Maximize Percy Harvin

Percy Harvin opened the 2011 season with a bang, scoring on a 102-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against the San Diego Chargers.

He then failed to score a touchdown over the next six games.

Since scoring his first offensive touchdown of the season in Week 8 against the Panthers—on 10-yard touchdown run—Harvin has caught four touchdown passes in the past three games.

Harvin currently leads the Vikings with 710 receiving yards and four touchdowns receptions.

Over the past three games he has 493 combined receiving, rushing and return yards.

If offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave has any brains, he will make sure Harvin gets more than 20 touches against the Lions, especially if Adrian Peterson is still ailing from the high ankle sprain.

The Kids Are Starting to Catch the Ball

It took more than half the season, but the Vikings finally have their veteran wide receivers where they need to be—out of football, in the case of Bernard Berrian, and on injured reserve for Michael Jenkins.

This has allowed for some of the younger receivers the opportunity show what they can do.

In the loss against the Broncos, quarterback Christian Ponder completed passes to seven different receivers, including six for 90 yards to Devin Aromashodu and the first two receptions on the season to Stephen Burton for 38 yards. 

Second-year running back Toby Gerhart, along with Percy Harvin, led the Vikings with eight catches against the Broncos. 

Rookie tight end Kyle Rudolph even got into the act with an incredible catch over Denver defensive back Quinton Carter for a touchdown.

Look for the trend to continue. Now the Vikings just need to show Greg Camarillo the door.

Turn Jared Allen Loose!

Jared Allen was on pace to set the NFL single-season sack record. That was after recording 12.5 sacks in the first eight games of the season.

Over the last four games Allen only has two sacks.

The good news is he had his best game of the season against the Lions, when he sacked Matthew Stafford three times.

With a sack, a safety, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery against the Broncos, look for Allen to continue his terror and lead the defense to its best game of the season.

Run with It!

The Detroit Lions have the 22nd-ranked defense against the run.

With or without Adrian Peterson, the Vikings need to pound the ball against the Lions.

Second-year running back Toby Gerhart had 91 yards on 21 carries for the Vikings against the Broncos. As the game went on, Gerhart's punishing style became more effective, even though his longest run was only 16 yards.

Percy Harvin has been extremely effective as a part-time ball carrier out of the backfield as well as on the end around. His 254 rushing yards are second on the Vikings by a single yard over Gerhart, but he leads the Vikings with a 6.7-yards-per-carry average.

Protect the Ball, Especially in the Red Zone

The Vikings three turnovers against the Broncos resulted in 10 points for Denver, and at least a field goal try for the Vikings.

Christian Ponder's interceptions have come at some of the most inopportune times, costing his team a couple of victories.

With nine touchdowns and eight interceptions on the season, Ponder needs to protect the football better and learn that he doesn't have to do it all by himself on every play, and that sometimes it's all right to throw the ball away—just make sure you do it outside the pocket, and the ball goes beyond the line of scrimmage.

Protect Christian Ponder

Despite having a 300-yard passing game and three touchdowns against Denver, Christian Ponder took a beating from the Broncos.

Despite being sacked only three times, Ponder was repeatedly hit and suffered a slight hip pointer in the game.

For the Vikings to be successful they will need to minimize the contact to their rookie quarterback.

It will help that Ndamukong Suh is currently serving a two-game suspension, but they will still need to contend with defensive ends Cliff Avril and Kyle Vanden Bosch, who lead the Lions with seven and six sacks, respectively.

Find Someone—Anyone—That Can at Least Stay Within Five Yards of Calvin Johnson

Yes, I know the Vikings are without their top two cornerbacks, Antoine Winfield and Chris Cook.

And I understand they were missing Asher Allen against the Broncos and that return man Marcus Sherels was pressed into duty on the defense. 

But this is the NFL, and the play of the Vikings secondary has been horrid. Against the 31st passing offense in the league, it made Demaryius Thomas look like a superstar.

Coming into the game, Thomas only had seven receptions for 73 yards and one touchdown in six games this season. Against the Vikings he had four receptions for 144 yards and two touchdowns.

The Broncos had two scoring drives late in the game, following Vikings touchdowns, that totaled three plays for 107 yards and only took 1:03 to score 14 points.

If head coach Leslie Frazier and defensive coordinator Fred Pagac, don't figure something out for the Detroit Lions and Calvin Johnson, it could make for another extremely long afternoon.

The Biggest Key: Make the Right Halftime Adjustments

Of course I've heard the saying, "If 'ifs' and 'buts' were candy and nuts, every day would be Christmas."

However, if only Leslie Frazier and his rookie coaching staff could make one, just one right adjustment in the second half of each game, this team could be 7-5 and playing for a wild-card playoff position.

One of those wins would have come against the Lions in Week 3 and perhaps sent Detroit into a tailspin a little sooner in the season.

If Frazier, offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave and defensive coordinator Fred Pagac don't start demonstrating they can coach in the NFL, this season will go down as the worst in franchise history, and the tenure of this staff will be a single season.