The Minnesota Vikings are primed for the biggest game of their history in the regular season on Sunday afternoon. It’s the first time in National Football League history that two teams will be playing against each other in the regular season with:
- 14 win each
- Playing for division title and #1 seed
It’s going to be a hard fought game with the Lions, who are 2.5-point favorites going into Sunday night. The first matchup went the way of the Lions, as kicker Jake Bates made the game-winning field goal with 15 seconds left.
Things have changed a lot since the Vikings lost that game in October, as have the biggest keys to the game.
Vikings vs. Lions keys to the game
Vikings ILB Blake Cashman
The first matchup between these two teams went down to the wire but the Lions burst ahead with a 21-point second quarter that saw them attack the middle of the field.
Lions QB Jared Goff was elite this year at throwing the ball over the middle of the field. He was 11-11 for 198 yards and two touchdowns. The one element key to their success across the middle of the field?
No Blake Cashman.
He was dealing with a turf toe injury that kept him out of three games. Those games ended up being a massive swing in how the Vikings defense played. Going into last week’s game against the Green Bay Packers, the defense with Cashman was excellent, who played nearly 100% of snaps in the games he did play.
Cashman’s ability to do a little bit of everything, especially in pass coverage. He is a huge asset to the Vikings’ defense, especially on the second level.
With how much the Lions like to throw short to players like Amon-Ra St. Brown, Cashman’s presence is a huge asset to the defense.
Vikings’ defense needs to stay disciplined
If you’ve played football at the lower levels like middle and high school, you’ve come across an option offense.
The key to running offenses like the slot-T, flexbone, and wishbone are about attacking certain leverages and exploiting teams that overpursue. The Lions use elements of this in their offense, as they love to maximize teams’ aggressiveness to their advantage.
Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson loves to call trick plays that take advantage of exactly this. He exploits defenses on all three levels with this, including against the San Francisco 49ers last week.
It’s not just about attacking teams that overpursue, it’s also about having guys like Jameson Williams and Jahmyr Gibbs who can soften angles. The Vikings will need to be incredibly disciplined and quick to react.
The T.J. Hockenson affect
The first matchup for the Vikings didn’t have their full disposal of weapons. Tight end T.J. Hockenson was still a couple of weeks away from returning to the field and the Vikings not being able to attack the intermediate levels of the field with maximum impact was a factor.
Now that Hockenson is back, they are stretching the field vertically and doing so with a ton of impact. It’s also been impactful in short areas, especially on third down with Kevin O’Connell’s creativity.
Having Hockenson on the field gives the Vikings a lot more firepower on the field and it allows both Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison to thrive attacking on a more vertical plane. When those don’t work, Hockenson does a great job working choice routes and getting first downs, including four in a row on a drive against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
If Alex Anzalone is out against the Vikings, it could loom huge on Sunday.