Hello everyone, and welcome to the Week 9 Minnesota Vikings roundtable here at Daily Norseman. The Vikes are coming off a blowout loss on Thursday Night Football to the Chargers. Now they’re not only on the road
again, but against one of the nastiest teams in the entire NFL.
Can the Vikings beat the Lions or will they fall another game under .500 and further from the playoff picture?
Let’s talk to it:
Question 1: On a scale of 1-100, how “must-win” do you feel this game is?
Brandon Warne: I would say it’s a solid 65-70. It’s less about the “when” and more about the “who” for me. I think at some point you need a signature win to show you’re heading in the right direction, and there’s no better way than to do it against the best team in the division (maybe conference) in their own building to end a long, ugly streak of football for you.
Christopher Gates: If this team wants to be competitive this season, on a scale of 1-100 this one is about a 150. The Lions and the Packers are both well ahead of the Vikings at this point, and the Vikings need this one to not only keep pace in the division standings, but to get themselves right mentally as well. They took a beating last Thursday in Los Angeles and they’re probably wondering what happened. This Detroit team has had their number over the past couple of seasons, and a loss in this one is just going to reinforce that and make things more difficult for the Vikings going forward. So, yeah, to say that they need this one is an understatement.
Craig Williams: Must win for the playoffs this year, 7 out of 10.
Warren Ludford: I’ll go with 60. The Vikings can afford three more losses this season and likely still make the playoffs, so every game is to some degree a must-win. But facing the Lions on the road is probably the toughest game left on the Vikings’ schedule, so it wouldn’t be terrible if they lost, which is why I don’t have this one as more of a must-win game. But if they lose to the Lions, each remaining game afterward will be at least an 80.
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Question 2: If you could add one Lions player to the Vikings, who would you choose?
BW: I think you could make a strong case for at least a half-dozen or more players. I’m going with Jahmyr Gibbs just because I’m a sucker for offensive firepower. Gibbs’ electricity with Jordan Mason between the tackles and some Aaron Jones Sr. besides would be an embarrassment of riches.
CG: I think you’d almost have to go with Jahmyr Gibbs. Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason are solid running backs, but Gibbs is one of those players that can do pretty much everything. He runs well, he catches the ball well out of the backfield, he’s a solid blocker when asked, and he would add a dimension to Minnesota’s offense that they just don’t have right now. I understand that paying running backs is not necessarily a thing that teams want to do in this era of NFL football, but it’s different when you have a real difference maker back there, and that’s what Gibbs is.
CW: One Lions player would be Jared Goff. McCarthy might be the future, but Goff on the Vikings would make this team an instant contender. Goff isn’t elite, but he is a top 10 QB.
WL: Aiden Hutchinson. That way the Vikings could rush four and be sure to get pressure on the quarterback and have AVG as an off-ball linebacker who could blitz or disrupt passes or plug holes in run defense.
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Question 3: If the Vikings win on Sunday, it’s because __________
BW: They flipped the script. They scored early, made a huge play that swung the score massively (like a looooong pick-6) or they get the 100th percentile performance from J.J. McCarthy. None of those feel all that likely, but there a few different paths, to be sure.
CG: They managed to keep J.J. McCarthy upright and put him in a position to succeed. There isn’t a player in the league this week who has more pressure on him than McCarthy does, not just to win this game but to prove that he is what the Vikings believed he was when they drafted him at #10 overall in 2024. The fans are incredibly down on the guy, which I think is absolutely ridiculous. The guy has played two NFL games and is still getting himself adjusted. Hopefully, Kevin O’Connell can help him out on that front this weekend, but it starts with the offensive line. McCarthy will finally have Christian Darrisaw protecting his blind side, and the Vikings should have four of their five starters back up front for this one, so I hope things will go a little better for him than they did the first two weeks.
CW: Turnovers. If it’s just blow for blow, it’s hard to see the Vikings keeping up with the Detroit offense. They’ll need a big play or two.
WL: They needed the win more than the Lions. The Lions played the Chiefs a couple of weeks ago and got soundly beaten by them as the Chiefs got some guys back from injury and desperately needed the win to get back on track. The Vikings are in the same situation.
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Question 4: Who do you think is better, Detroit or Green Bay?
BW: It’s Detroit, but not by a ton. Their second matchup is going to be one hell of a football game, and might decide absolutely NOTHING about this question. I like Detroit’s offensive firepower and their hard-nosed approach on defense — as long as they’re not facing the Vikings.
CG: I think it’s Detroit, even though Green Bay won the matchup between these two teams in Green Bay in Week 1. I’ve never been a believer in Jordan Love, and he hasn’t done anything to make me think I should change my mind at this point. Granted, I’m not sure how much I believe in Jared Goff, either, but I’d certainly give him the nod over Love, all things considered. I just think Detroit has the better talent up and down the roster, honestly.
CW: Detroit is a deeper and more complete team. They’ve proven they can survive injuries and the challenges of a long season. Green Bay is scary though.
WL: Detroit. Yeah, the Packers beat the Lions week one because the Lions had more preseason issues than the Packers, but Detroit has a more potent offense with a better roster.
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Question 5: What do you think J.J. McCarthy’s final line will be?
BW: I’ll say 24-for-32 — lots of pass attempts due to game flow — for 280 yards, three touchdowns and a pick. If he can hit some easy completions early, I think he’ll settle in and have a fine game. He’s two games into his career folks; we need to calm down just a little bit.
CG: I’ll put McCarthy at about 19-of 27, 225 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT. I’m hoping there will be more short, quick passes than O’Connell called with McCarthy behind center during the first two games, but he didn’t change things when the Vikings switched to Carson Wentz, so perhaps I’m just hoping against hope there.
CW: 210 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
WL: Tough question. I’ll go with 22/30 for 250 yards, 2 TDs and an INT.
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Question 6: What is your final score prediction?
BW: Fool me once? Shame on you. Fool me twice? Shame on me. Fool me three times? Vikings 28-27 in a Will-the-Thrill(er).
CG: I think the Lions win this one, as much as it saddens me to say it. McCarthy’s in a tough spot here, coming back against a team that just held Baker Mayfield and the Bucs’ high-powered offense to 9 points the last time they were on the field. He’s going to give it a solid effort, but I don’t think it’s going to be enough. 30-20, Lions.
CW: 28-20 Lions win
WL: 31-20 Lions. Having said that, this is the type of game- nobody thinks the Vikings will win- that occasionally they surprise on the upside and get the win. If that happens, it could be more like 31-24 Vikings.
