Now that the Detroit Lions don't have to worry about putting up the second 0-16 season in NFL history, they need to focus on salvaging something out of their season. At 1-5, and with two games left against the Green Bay Packers and one against the St. Louis Rams, the playoffs are the longest of long shots, but Sunday will give them a chance to avenge a Week 2 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Vikings vs. Lions 2015 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online
The Vikings try to stay in the playoff race while the Lions look to salvage some pride from the season.
The Lions are in a strange part of their schedule -- they go from Oct. 5 to Nov. 15 without playing a true road game. The Vikings game is their third straight game at home, and they follow it by playing the Kansas City Chiefs in London before getting their bye.
The biggest question on Sunday will be if Detroit's offensive improvement in last weekend's 37-34 overtime win over the Chicago Bears was real, or if it was a mirage caused by Chicago's defense. The Lions rushed for 155 yards, the first time they had topped 70 all season, and that allowed Matthew Stafford to throw deep to Calvin Johnson and Lance Moore. The first time they played the Vikings, they only ran for 38 yards in a 26-16 loss.
One problem Detroit hasn’t solved is turnovers. The Lions had three more against the Bears, and lead the league with 18 turnovers and eight fumbles lost, while they have thrown 10 interceptions, second-most in the NFL. That’s likely to continue against Minnesota, which has nine takeaways in only five games.
The Vikings allowed 230 rushing yards in a Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and 144 to the Denver Broncos, but only allowed 57 last week in a win over the Chiefs. Their pass defense has been much more consistent, ranking 11th in the NFL.
When Minnesota has the ball, it will be counting on Adrian Peterson to carry the load against an improving Detroit front seven. The Lions haven't been great against the run -- they aren't really good in any facet of the game -- but they were able to keep Matt Forte in check last weekend, especially when the Bears were trying to run out the clock.
One potential major concern came up on Saturday, when Peterson was added to the injury report with an illness. He’s listed as questionable, and if Peterson can’t play, the Vikings will be forced to go with a committee of Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata, which would certainly make life much easier for Detroit’s offense.
Teddy Bridgewater hasn't been good this season, but he's thrown for 200-plus yards in the last two games, something he hadn't managed in any of the first three. In terms of net yards per passing attempt, the Vikings are last in the NFL, but the Lions are last defensively, so that aspect of the game might come down to whichever team can find something that works vaguely well.
At 3-2, the Vikings still consider themselves a playoff-caliber team, but that means they have to beat up on opponents like the Lions. Detroit will come into the game with a little momentum after last weekend's win, but the Vikings can put their NFC North rivals right back into disarray by forcing Stafford or Ameer Abdullah into early mistakes. Abdullah has been benched for parts of the last two games because of his fumble problems, and if he puts the ball on the ground again, the Lions will have to rely on receiving specialist Theo Riddick to run the ball -- something he isn't used to doing.
How to watch
When: 1 p.m. ET
Where: Ford Field, Detroit
Network: FOX
Announcers: Chris Myers, Ronde Barber, Jennifer Hale
Online: NFL Game Pass
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