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| Brett Better Come Looking To Go Big Early |
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| Childress Better Call Some Passing Plays In The Redzone! |
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| Allen Could Use A Game Like Last Game |
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| Peterson Needs To Keep On Trucking |
The Vikings will spend this week telling everyone within earshot that they aren’t taking the Detroit Lions lightly. They will talk about how their games against the Lions are always hard fought and that winning in the NFC North is never easy.
It will be in their best interest if they listen to the lip service they deliver to the media.
After losing to New Orleans and Miami, the Vikings can ill afford to give anything less than a full effort on Sunday when they play host to Detroit. The Vikings have dominated this series—they haven’t lost to the Lions at home since 1997 - but given the struggles of this offense to score points nothing is an automatic.
That could be especially true because the Lions seem to be gaining confidence.
Detroit is 0-2 but has played close games against Chicago (19-14) and Philadelphia (35-32). The additions of defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch(notes), defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh(notes) and running back Jahvid Best(notes) among others has improved the roster of a team that hasn’t won on the road in 21 games.
The Vikings, meanwhile, are a team that started this season as one of the favorites in the NFC after losing in overtime to the Saints in the conference championship game last season.
The issue is that so far the Vikings have only 19 points and after a magical season in 2009, Brett Favre(notes) has thrown four interceptions and only one touchdown.
The feeling among many Vikings observers is the soon-to-be 41-year-old isn’t having as much fun as he did a year ago—Favre’s birthday is Oct. 10—and one big reason is the absence of wide receiver Sidney Rice(notes) for at least half the season.
Rice, who presented Favre with a 6-foot-4 target, had hip surgery in August. Bernard Berrian(notes) was expected to pick up much of the slack in Rice’s absence but that hasn’t been the case.
Berrian, who is 6-foot-1 and known more for his speed than his physical play, has only three receptions for 27 yards in two games. Two passes thrown his way Sunday ended up being intercepted.
The Vikings have explored trading for suspended San Diego wide receiver Vincent Jackson(notes) but that fell through. They did make a move to sign 6-foot-4 Hank Baskett(notes) on Wednesday after he was released by Philadelphia.
“I think Bernard’s heart is in the right place,” Favre said of Berrian. “I believe in my mind he did all he could do. If I felt otherwise, I wouldn’t throw it to him. We go to bat with who we’ve got, me included. That’s the way it is. I’m not going to look out to my left or look out to my right and say, ‘I’m not going to throw it over there.’ I’m not going to play that way.”
Coach Brad Childress and Berrian both swear the receiver is on the same page with Favre and that chemistry isn’t an issue. If that is the case, Favre, Berrian and several of their teammates are going to need to take a big step forward on Sunday and prove they have solved some of their issues.
The Vikings will have a bye week following that game, so a failure to right the ship could make for a miserable off week in Minnesota.
Series History: 98th meeting. Vikings lead regular-season series, 65-30-2, and are 18-2 in the past 20 games against Detroit. The Vikings have won the past 12 games against the Lions at the Metrodome. Minnesota is 14-3 in its last 17 regular-season home games. Vikings coach Brad Childress is 7-1 against the Lions.
NOTES, QUOTES
• DE Jared Allen(notes) has 30 sacks with Minnesota, a team record for the most in the first three seasons as a Viking.
• QB Brett Favre needs two touchdown passes to become the first player in NFL history to throw for 500 and 275 yards passing to become the first to throw for 70,000 yards.
• Favre broke the NFL record for most consecutive starts in his first game against Detroit as a member of the Vikings on Sept. 20, 2009. Favre threw two touchdown passes and had a 115.3 passer rating in a 27-13 victory.
• RB Adrian Peterson ran for 133 yards against the Lions on Nov. 15, 2009, making him the seventh Viking to reach 4,000 rushing yards in a career. That set a team record and tied for fourth in NFL history for fewest games needed to reach 4,000.
• DT Kevin Williams(notes) had a career-high four sacks against Detroit on Oct. 12, 2008, which tied for the most in a single game in 2008 and ranks tied for second in franchise history.
• LB Chad Greenway(notes) intercepted two passes off Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford(notes) and returned them for a combined 49 yards when the Vikings played the Lions on Sept. 20, 2009. That performance earned Greenway NFC Player of the Week honors.
• The Vikings have swept the Lions eight times since 2000 and Detroit hasn’t scored a rushing touchdown on the Vikings in the past six meetings, dating to Oct. 8, 2006.
• The Vikings have an all-time record of 165-123-5 against the NFC North and are 91-54-1 in home games against the division.
By The Numbers: 65—Victories by the Vikings over the Lions, their most against any opponent.
Quote To Note: “Have I seen improvement from Game 1 to Game 2? I did. Just want to keep being incremental. There’s always something we can get better on and those guys take it to heart in there, and I know they will.”—Coach Brad Childress talking about the Vikings’ offense and if he saw improvement from the first game to the second.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
The Vikings attempted to add San Diego holdout wide receiver Vincent Jackson in a trade but were unable to work an agreement by the 4 p.m. deadline on Wednesday.
The 6-5 Jackson, who would have been eligible to play for the Vikings on Oct. 17, would have provided Brett Favre with the exact type of big target he is missing in Sidney Rice. Rice is expected to miss half the season after having hip surgery last month.
The Vikings did add a big receiver, signing 6-4 Hank Baskett. Baskett was released by the Philadelphia Eagles on Tuesday.
Baskett is far from Jackson’s equal in terms of ability but the fifth-year player will present another option and also provides some insurance. Percy Harvin(notes) has been slowed by a strained right hip and also is battling another round of migraine headaches. Bernard Berrian also landed on the injury report Wednesday because of a knee issue.
That means the Vikings’ healthy receivers are Baskett, Greg Camarillo(notes) and Greg Lewis(notes).
Player Notes
• WR Bernard Berrian was limited in practice Wednesday because of a knee injury.
• CB Chris Cook(notes), who is recovering from a torn meniscus in his right knee, was able to take part in all of practice Wednesday and might be able to make his NFL debut Sunday.
• CB Cedric Griffin(notes), who is recovering from surgery to repair a torn left anterior cruciate ligament suffered in last season’s NFC title game, is doing limited work in practice but probably will sit out again Sunday against Detroit. Griffin, like Cook, should return after the bye.
• WR Percy Harvin aggravated a hip strain last Sunday against the Dolphins and also has had another recurrence of migraine headaches. He did not practice Wednesday.
• DT Jimmy Kennedy(notes) (knee) is back practicing for the second consecutive week and took part in all drills Wednesday. Kennedy hasn’t played in the first two games.
• LB Ben Leber(notes) was limited Wednesday because of a back injury but said he will be good to go on Sunday.
• OT Bryant McKinnie(notes) (dislocated finger) did not miss any of practice Wednesday and played in last Sunday’s game despite the injury.
• QB Brett Favre continues to be listed on the injury report because of soreness in his surgically repaired ankle but he hasn’t missed any practice time.
• C John Sullivan(notes) (calf) did not miss any practice time Wednesday.
Game Plan: The Vikings will look to get their offense on track against a Lions defense that has given up 54 points in its first two games, including 35 in a loss last Sunday to Philadelphia.
The Vikings offensive line figures to have its hands full with rookie defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and end Kyle Vanden Bosch putting pressure on Brett Favre. Minnesota’s greatest success so far has come on the ground, as Pro Bowl running back Adrian Peterson is off to a good start.
The Lions are giving up an average of 131.5 yards per game on the ground—27th in the NFL—and Peterson has rushed for 232 yards in two games, putting him third in the league.
Minnesota needs to get quarterback Brett Favre on track. He has thrown only one touchdown and four interceptions and hasn’t developed a rhythm with any of his wide receivers.
This includes Bernard Berrian, who was expected to be Minnesota’s go-to receiver with Sidney Rice sidelined. Berrian has only three receptions for 27 yards.
The Lions defense has given up 304.5 passing yards per game, putting them near the bottom of the league in that category as well.
Defensively, the Vikings surrendered 120 rushing yards to the Dolphins on Sunday. That’s a rarity for one of the better run defense in the NFL. Shaun Hill(notes) is expected to start at quarterback for the Lions in place of the injured Matthew Stafford.
The Vikings defense is going to have to be aware of rookie running back Jahvid Best at all times because of his play-making ability. If wide receiver Nate Burleson(notes) (ankle) is unavailable for the Lions that will take a weapon from a passing attack that also features Calvin Johnson(notes) and Brandon Pettigrew(notes).
Matchups To Watch: Vikings CB Lito Sheppard(notes), who is playing the left corner in the nickel package, vs. Lions WR Calvin Johnson, who has caught eight passes for 95 yards and a touchdown this season. The Miami Dolphins had immediate success against the Vikings nickel package last Sunday by going right at Sheppard on the Dolphins’ first play from scrimmage. The result was a 46-yard pass completion from Chad Henne(notes) to 6-foot-4 Brandon Marshall(notes) that set up a touchdown. You think the Lions aren’t going to notice that? Johnson is 6-5 and stands to create trouble for Sheppard or Asher Allen(notes), who is starting at left corner. Sheppard is only 5-10 and Allen is 5-9. Antoine Winfield(notes), the starter at right corner who moves inside in the nickel, also is 5-9 but he is the Vikings’ best cornerback. If Chris Cook (6-2) and Cedric Griffin (6-0) remain out, look for Johnson to be a primary target. Cook could provide some much-needed size against Johnson if he can play.
Vikings LT Bryant McKinnie, who played last week despite a dislocated finger, vs. Lions DE Kyle Vanden Bosch, who has 1.5 sacks this season after being signed to a four-year, $26 million free-agent deal this offseason. McKinnie has had issues at times with top-flight defensive ends and he now will be facing Vanden Bosch and Chicago’s Julius Peppers(notes) twice a season. This will be McKinnie’s first test. The key for McKinnie, who is in his ninth season, is simply showing consistency because he has the athletic ability to be a very good player. Vanden Bosch plays with a motor that never quits and will spend the afternoon using a variety of moves to try to get around the 6-8, 335-pound McKinnie.
Injury Impact: Cornerback Chris Cook could make his NFL regular-season debut, but it looks as if Cedric Griffin will remain out until after the bye week. Wide receiver Percy Harvin is dealing with a hip injury and migraines, meaning he could be a long shot to play. Wide receiver Bernard Berrian already is struggling and considering his game is based on speed the last thing he needs is a knee problem.
