Head coach Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings and J.J. McCarthy are hoping the quarterback’s return sparks a Viking turnaround. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
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The Minnesota Vikings were an NFL expansion team in 1961 and they lost their first five meetings with the Detroit Lions. The current version of the Vikings have also lost five straight games to the Lions. No Vikings team has lost six in a row to their long-time division rivals.
Despite the way the teams are playing as they approach their Week Nine game at Ford Field, the Vikings have dominated the all-time series between these two teams throughout the 65-year history between the two teams. The Vikings own the all-time series by an 80-45-2 margin.
The Vikings simply owned the Lions for many years, reeling off a 13-game winning streak between 1968 and 1974 and winning 16 of 17 games between 2002 and 2009. Another 8-game winning streak followed between 2017 and 2021.
The long history of dominance in the series does not impress the oddsmakers in Sunday’s game as the Lions are 8 ½-point favorites. The Lions (5-2) are the stronger team at this point and they play with much greater speed, power and confidence. On the surface, it appears the only thing that Kevin O’Connell’s team has going for it is the historical edge in the series.
There may be more to the Vikings in this game as this battered and bruised team is getting healthier. The most obvious news is the return of J.J. McCarthy as the team’s starting quarterback. The No. 10 pick in the 2024 draft has the endorsement of O’Connell but has proven very little. His NFL experience consists of two games this season, rallying the Vikings to a season-opening victory over the Chicago Bears and a dull performance in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons.
He is returning from a high ankle sprain in this game against one of the most aggressive defenses in the league. Putting a respectable game against the Lions on the board is very much in question.
Vikings offensive tackles getting healthy
The expected return of Christian Darrisaw (71) and Brian O’Neill is a major development for the Vikings. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
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However, the Vikings are finally getting healthy and it appears their two best offensive linemen are ready to return. Left tackle Christian Darrisaw and right tackle Brian O’Neill have been full participants in practice this week. The Vikings offensive line was overwhelmed by the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 8 and that resulted in an overwhelming problem in time of possession.
The Vikings had the ball for 21 minutes while the Chargers maintained it for 39 minutes. The Vikings had no rushing attack against the Chargers, gaining just 34 yards on the ground. Injured quarterback Carson Wentz could not drive the offense either, as the Vikings were held to 157 passing yards. There was almost nothing that went right in this game on offense at any point.
Bringing back their two best offensive linemen at the most important positions on the line appears to be a vital development. So does the return of linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel, who has been out since the loss to the Falcons with a neck injury. Van Ginkel has been a full participant in practice through the middle of the week.
Van Ginkel was one of the team’s best players a year ago when he had 79 tackles, 11.5 sacks, 18 tackles for loss and 6 passes defensed. He also had 2 brilliant interceptions that were returned for touchdowns.
Brian Flores needs the return of Van Ginkel to help turn the Vikings into a dangerous unit. His interceptions were the result of reading the quarterback on swing passes, getting in the path of the thrown and picking it off on the run with no opponent in front of him.
It is the kind of sudden-change play that shocks opponents and can change momentum in a hurry.
This is a game that appears to be one that the Lions should win by a significant margin. But the Vikings have a huge historical edge in the series and they are getting back four performers who should make a difference.
If the Vikings are going to be anything but a disappointment this season, they must find a way to come up with a signature performance under the most difficult circumstances. This is their opportunity to do just that.