A take a look at the numbers tells you that the Vikings reside on borrowed time.
Will life residing on the sting meet up with Minnesota?
Coming into their recreation Sunday on the Lions (5-7), the previous 9 wins for the Vikings (10-2) have come by one possession, the newest of which was their 27-22 nail-biter over the Jets, whose receiver, Braxton Berrios, did not haul in a possible game-winning landing cross with 1:43 remaining.
Not together with a 23-7 win over the Packers, Minnesota’s common margin of victory in its different 9 victories has been a mere 5.2 factors.
“We’re snug in these conditions,” proper deal with Brian O’Neill instructed reporters this week. “Ideally you wish to win by extra. However let’s be sincere, we’re going to be in these conditions once more transferring ahead, and if we are able to deal with it maturely and if we are able to keep laser-focused the entire time, we’ll be nice.”
Nonetheless, the statistics are peculiar. Regardless of being 10-2, with the second-best document within the league, the Vikings have outscored their opponents on the season by simply 10 factors, and so they’re being outgained by a median of 63 yards per recreation.
They're ranked nineteenth within the league in offense, twenty fifth in dashing offense and eleventh in passing. Defensively, they’re ranked an eye-opening thirty first — sixteenth in opposition to the run and useless final in opposition to the cross.
The oddsmakers aren't believers within the Vikings, having put in them as 1.5-point underdogs. Based on the Motion Community, it’s the primary time a workforce with its beginning quarterback taking part in and a profitable share of 80 p.c or higher has been an underdog in opposition to a workforce with a shedding document in a recreation in December or later since 2004.
But non-believers-be-damned, a win or tie in opposition to the Lions and the Vikings would clinch the NFC North division title for the primary time since 2017.
They've gained 9 of their previous 10 video games, a streak that started with a 28-24 comeback win over the Lions in Minneapolis. Their solely two losses have come in opposition to two of the highest groups within the league — the Eagles (11-1) and the Cowboys (9-3).
Whereas the Vikings are taking part in for the division title, the Lions are taking part in for his or her playoff lives. They are going to enter the sport having gained 4 of their previous 5 video games to insert themselves into the postseason dialog as a possible wild card.
“We win, we obtained an opportunity,” Lions quarterback Jared Goff mentioned. “We don’t, we most likely don’t.”
The Lions had been seemingly left for useless after a 1-6 begin, after profitable simply three video games final yr in head coach Dan Campbell’s first season.
“It brings a bit of additional spark to every thing, definitely, when you realize that you simply’ve obtained an opportunity,” Campbell mentioned this week. “Extra importantly, it’s the truth that we really feel like we’re taking part in fairly good soccer as a result of we’re doing issues a sure approach and the blokes have gained confidence from that.”
Campbell continues to be chafed by what he acknowledged as a mistake he made within the Week 3 assembly with the Viking when he selected to attempt a 54-yard area purpose with a three-point lead and 1:14 left with Minnesota out of timeouts.
Kicker Austin Seibert, who was later launched, missed the kick, and Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins led Minnesota to a game-winning TD with 45 seconds remaining.
“After all, it burns me,” Campbell mentioned this week. “I imply, that’ll be there till the day I die. That’s not going to go away.”
Cousins, a Michigan native who went to Michigan State, has been dominant in his 4 begins at Ford Area with the Vikings. He’s 4-0, has accomplished 73-percent of his passes for 1,336 yards, 12 touchdowns and no interceptions for a 129.9 passer ranking.
“I all the time take pleasure in going again to the state the place I grew up and seeing folks in inexperienced and white [his alma mater colors] and that sort of a factor.”
Among the many Lions taking part in notably nicely is Goff, who accomplished a season-high 31 passes for 340 yards and two TDs with out an interception final week in a 40-17 rout of the Jaguars. Goff has thrown at the very least one TD cross in 11 consecutive dwelling video games, the third-longest energetic streak within the league.
That controversial commerce with the Rams, through which Detroit acquired Goff for Matthew Stafford final yr, now doesn’t look so unhealthy for the Lions, who had been panned for the transfer on the time.
One other factor to look at within the recreation is Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson, who was held to a career-low 14 yards and three receptions within the final assembly, with Lions cornerback Jeff Okudah taking part in him tight.
Vikings tight finish T.J. Hockenson caught a TD cross for the Lions within the groups’ earlier assembly. He was dealt to the Vikings on the commerce deadline and has 30 catches for 225 yards and one TD in 5 video games for Minnesota since.
The Vikings have gained 9 of the previous 10 matchups in opposition to the Lions. The one loss in that span was at Detroit in Week 13 final yr, when Goff’s 11-yard TD cross to Amon-Ra St. Brown on the final play of the sport gave the Lions a 29-27 victory — their first underneath Campbell.
Post a Comment