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Week 4 Lions @ Vikings: Who Has the Edge?

The Vikings will be without their starting quarterback Sam Bradford for the third straight week, once again turning to Case Keenum against the Lions for their first NFC North match-up of the 2017 season. The Vikings are coming off a game where everything clicked against Tampa Bay and they are looking like a playoff team as they approach the quarter pole. Detroit, sitting at 2-1 after a narrow loss to the Falcons, also has postseason aspirations in a tough division. Let us take a look how these teams compare.

Quarterback

Matthew Stafford is a top-10 quarterback who is counted on to provide the majority of the Lions offense. Despite Keenum’s week three success, he is still a major question mark for Minnesota.

Edge: Lions

Running Back

Dalvin Cook may be the only back getting major touches for the Vikings but it has worked out as he is the second-leading rusher in the NFL. Plus, he is coming off a brilliant week three where he accounted for almost 170 yards from scrimmage. Detroit’s tandem of Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick cannot match that.

Edge: Vikings

Wide Receiver

Golden Tate has been productive this season but he is the only Detroit receiver with double-digit receptions. Minnesota is trotting out one of the league’s bets one-two punches in Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. This is a big advantage for Minnesota.

Edge: Vikings

Tight End

Kyle Rudolph is a weapon in theory but he has been a bit slow out of the gate. Eric Ebron has been slightly more productive with nine catches and a touchdown, but neither tight end has been a major factor thus far. Both are capable of putting up big numbers at any point so this one is a wash.

Edge: Draw

Offensive Line

Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen made headlines this week when he called Detroit left tackle Greg Robinson “lazy.” Though that remark in particular is difficult to prove from afar, there is no doubt Robinson has been a major disappointment since he entered the league as the second overall pick in 2014. According to STATS, Robinson has allowed pressure on over 18 percent of opportunities in 2017, by far the worst in the NFL. The league average for a left tackle is right around 10 percent.

As a whole, the Lions line ranks near the bottom in both pass protection and run blocking. While Minnesota’s may not be exceptional, they rank in the top-half of the league in both categories and have done well enough to keep their quarterbacks comfortable and give their running back room.

Edge: Vikings

Defensive Line

Ezekiel Ansah is off to a nice start to 2017 with three sacks in three games but the Vikings have one of the league’s best overall defensive line units. Everson Griffen is tied for fourth in the league in sacks with four and Linval Joseph is an absolute beast clogging up the middle and getting pressure. Clear advantage to Minnesota.

Edge: Vikings

Linebacker

Again, there is not much debate here. Rookie Jarrad Davis has played well for Detroit since taking over middle linebacker duties but Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks are an elite 4-3 linebacking corps. No rushing attack has been able to get going when playing the Vikings this season and Barr and Kendricks look like Pro Bowlers. Even rookie Ben Gedeon is performing well in his limited time playing Will in base packages. This is another position of major strength for Minnesota.

Edge: Vikings

Defensive Back

Xavier Rhodes has virtually shut down some big-time receivers in Antonio Brown, Mike Evans and Michael Thomas. Harrison Smith and Andrew Sendejo are great in run support and both have made plays in pass defense, as well. Detroit has a good lockdown corner and ball hawk safety themselves in Darius Slay and Glover Quin.

That being said, both teams currently rank in the bottom half of the league in passing defense through three weeks. To be fair, Minnesota has played some tough passing attacks early on and held them off the scoreboard for the most part. Detroit has had the benefit of playing slumping offenses in the Cardinals and Giants. Given the Vikings’ overall success against tough offenses each game, they get the nod here.

Edge: Vikings

Special Teams

Minnesota’s kicking game is somewhat of an issue. Kai Forbath is perfect on field goal attempts but he has already missed two extra points. Matt Prater, on the other hand, may very well be the best kicker in the NFC. He has yet to miss a single kick in 2017 and already has a 58-yarder on his season resume. The Vikings may have the edge in the return game with Marcus Sherels, but Prater puts the Lions over the top overall.

Edge: Lions

Final Score

There is no doubt the Vikings have the better and more complete roster of these two teams. Minnesota is a stout defensive team with the weapons to make big plays on offense whereas Detroit is almost entirely reliant on an electric passing game to control tempo. With that in mind, the Vikings are at the advantage of knowing that the ball is going to be in the air a lot. If the pass rush can get to Stafford and the secondary can contain downfield throws, Minnesota should be in good position to win.

Of course, the question of the quarterback is what will likely keep this game close. Yes, Keenum played great in week three. But odds are that is not going to be the norm for the veteran journeyman. Fans should not anticipate another 142.1 rating performance from Keenum but they certainly should expect enough from him for a Minnesota win. As long as he plays adequate, moves the ball downfield when he needs to, protects the ball at all times and Cook gets a lot of touches, the Vikings should hold serve at home in their first division game of 2017.

Prediction: Vikings 24, Lions 20

–Sam Smith is the Managing Editor for cover32/Vikings. Like and Follow @samc_smith Follow @cover32_MIN

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