Lions look to get bid for playoffs back on track against lowly ranked Vikings – NFL Preview
Detroit Lions have a great opportunity to get their bid for making the playoffs back on track when they face division bottom dwellers Minnesota Vikings this Sunday.
The Lions are tied with Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons for the two National Football Conference wildcard playoff spots and desperately need a win to regain any chance of making the playoffs. The match against struggling Minnesota
Vikings 2-10 could not come at a better time for the Lions with the team having a great opportunity to end a two game losing streak.
The Lions have come in for criticism lately for their playing style which has been branded dirty across the NFL. The Lions players have not done themselves any favours losing their composure and giving away eleven penalties each
during the previous two games with players fined multiple times by the National Football League’s disciplinary committee.
Defensive Tackle Ndamukong Suh was ejected from the field during the much hyped Thanksgiving Day 27-15 loss against Green Bay Packers. Suh was seen stomping on Packers Guard Evan Dietrich-Smith and promptly ejected from the field
by officials.
Lessons were not learnt from this incident however and in their next game against New Orleans Saints the Lions offense was again hampered by the large number of penalties.
Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford believes his team is not helping itself playing as they currently are.
"Smart football teams are still playing in January," said Matthew Stafford. "Teams that make smart decisions don't beat themselves."
Coach Jim Schwartz also believes that the team should play with more discipline and cut down on giving away avoidable penalties
"Obviously, everything on the field is a reflection of the organization, it's a reflection of the head coach, it's a reflection of all the coaches, it's a reflection of the players," Schwartz said. "It's not a presentation we want."
Stafford will be the key to any Lions victory. The quarterback is fourth overall in the NFL in touchdowns creating 27 touchdowns covering 3,527 passing yards as he completed 307 passes from 487 attempts this season. Stafford has
also thrown 14 interceptions as Lions defensive frailties forced him to attempt riskier passes.
Minnesota Vikings on the other hand should not provide much of a challenge to Lions since their offense will be seriously lacking in quality with star running back Adrian Peterson is set to miss out due to a sprained ankle. Quarterback
Christian Ponder is also unlikely to feature as he recovers from a hip pointer which will seriously reduce Vikings hopes for victory.
The Vikings who sit bottom of the NFC North Division have nothing to play for and will not risk the health of their stars.
The last meeting between the two sides in game week 3 ended with a 26-23 overtime victory for the Lions and Detroit will look for a much easier win on Sunday at the Ford Field to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Tags: