An NFC North matchup kicks off Thursday’ Thanksgiving football as the division-leading Minnesota Vikings (8-2) visit Detroit to clash with the Lions (6-4).
One of these teams is going to lose for the first time in November as the Vikings are on a six-game winning streak and the Lions have won three straight. The Lions have also won their last four games on Thanksgiving, the most recent being a 16-13 victory coming last year against the Vikings.
In fact, the Lions have won three straight against the Vikings and they will look to keep that streak going in order to close the gap with Minnesota and prevent them from taking comfortable command of the division.
Lions won the first game of the season between these two teams when they defeated the Vikings in Minnesota in week 4, but things have changed a lot as Minnesota has not lost since.
The Vikings are so drastically different since that loss to Detroit. Defensively they’re practically another team and have taken their game to a whole new level as they are allowing just 17.2 points per game (4th in the league), while on offense Case Keenum is playing probably the best football of his career as he has a passer rating of 93.7, which is his personal best.
His improved performances have led the Vikings to amass 372.5 total yards per game this season, which ranks 5th in the league.
For the Lions to win this Thanksgiving matchup they will probably have to rely on Matthew Stafford. The thing is that although Stafford has passed for seven touchdowns and thrown just one interception, for a 124.7 passer rating since week 9, he has not faced a defense as dangerous as this improved Vikings defensive unit.
Pressure on Stafford will be huge because the Lions are one dimensional. Detroit is a team that does not run the football really well and as a result, the Vikings will stack the box, cover the backend and use plenty of blitzes to rush Stafford as they dare him to beat them through the air.
If the Lions fail to provide Stafford with an adequate pass protection they will have almost no chance to win this pivotal divisional matchup.
For Minnesota to win, Keenum doesn’t have to be spectacular. He just has to be reliable and prevent giveaways until the Vikings defense takes over and provides Minnesota with good field position and scoring opportunities.
