The Minnesota Vikings are hoping to improve to 7-0 for the first time in 26 years when they play the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Detroit has won two straight, sitting at 4-2 and looking to get into the thick of the NFC North race.
But no one has a longer winning streak than the Vikings. Since last year, Minnesota has had a league-best 11-game winning streak. One of those came on Christmas Day, when the Vikings beat the Lions 23-10 despite only amassing three net passing yards.
Minnesota will need more offensive production this Sunday if it wants to leave Ford Field with a victory. The Vikings lead the league in EPA/play allowed, while Detroit is tied for 3rd in EPA/play, per Next Gen Stats. Conversely, Minnesota's offense is tied for 28th in EPA/play, while the Lions'
defense is tied for last in EPA/play allowed.
This game will pit strength against strength and weakness against weakness, emphasizing players winning their one-on-one matchups. Below are the three I'll pay the most attention to.
Blake Cashman vs. Jahmyr Gibbs
At first glance, this may feel like a run-game matchup. No one has averaged more scrimmage yards per game than Jahmyr Gibbs this year, and the Vikings are less than two years removed from him scoring four rushing touchdowns in a pivotal Week 18 matchup at the end of the 2024 season.
But I'm viewing this more from a pass-protection standpoint. Last year, Gibbs had a career-high 15 pass-block snaps against Minnesota in Week 9, allowing seven pressures, per PFF. This came from a heavy pass rush from Brian Flores, featuring Eric Wilson blitzing up the middle and forcing Gibbs to stay in to protect the pass. Per Next Gen Stats, the Vikings generated pressure on 47.6% of dropbacks and sacked Jared Goff five times.
Per Will Burchfield, Gibbs told reporters on Friday, "I don’t remember most of it. My head was rocking, I ain’t gonna lie. But I’m up for the challenge, whatever that is."
Blake Cashman has been elite while blitzing this year, generating a 31.5 QB-pressure rate, the highest among all players with at least 25 pass-rush snaps (he has 73). Expect Cashman, who won NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his two-sack performance last week, to continue bringing pressure up the middle.
Justin Jefferson vs. D.J. Reed
We're still waiting for Minnesota's offense to improve and help its defense. Part of the struggle has come from Justin Jefferson's lack of production, as he has eclipsed 100 yards only once in his last 17 games. Even though he missed nearly two full games with an ankle injury, he has caught only 10 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown in his two games since returning.
The Vikings' offense has revolved around Jefferson since Kevin O'Connell was hired in 2022. Although O'Connell wants to establish the running game, he may need to return to what worked for most of his first three and a half years as head coach.
D.J. Reed is PFF's 16th-ranked cornerback this year, but the Lions cornerback has allowed 20 receptions for 357 yards and three touchdowns on 30 targets, resulting in a team-worst 140.6 passer rating allowed, per Next Gen Stats.
Can he keep up with Jefferson on Sunday and help continue to neutralize Minnesota's best weapon? Or will Jefferson break through and help the Vikings find their stride on offense for the first time in over a year?
Brian O'Neill/Christian Darrisaw vs. Aiden Hutchinson
I expect Detroit to move Aiden Hutchinson to each side of the line this Sunday. Brian O'Neill has dealt with a knee injury this year, and while he's been mostly effective (81.3 pass-block grade, per PFF), he's still been beaten pretty badly at times.
The same applies to Christian Darrisaw. Although he appears to be healthy two years removed from his torn ACL injury, there are plays (pre- and post-snap) where he makes costly mistakes. Although he has a 79.3 pass-blocking grade, he has been credited with four sacks and allowed six pressures.
Per Next Gen Stats, only Houston's Will Anderson has more pressures than Hutchinson (39, tied with Dallas Turner). Hutchinson's five sacks are tied with teammate and former Vikings D.J. Wonnum for the 9th-most in the league. But Hutchinson has a 15.3% QB pressure rate, far exceeding Wonnum's 8.9%.
If Darrisaw and O'Neill can contain Hutchinson, Minnesota's offense will have a chance of succeeding against Detroit's defense, which ranks last in yards allowed. But if Hutchinson beats them, this could be another painful outing for the Vikings' offense.
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Key matchups for the Vikings against the Lions in Week 8
