A Look At Minnesota Vikings Thanksgiving History

With Green Bay struggling and Chicago effectively out of the playoff race, the victor here will take a big step toward sewing up a playoff berth, even with six more weeks left to play.

Minnesota Vikings @ Detroit Lions 12:30 E.T.

The Lions (6-4) haven’t won a division title since back in 1993 when the NFC North was still known as the Central, but a victory here essentially gives them a two-game lead over Minnesota, and with the Packers in a free-fall, Detroit would be in the clear driver’s seat for the division crown. Detroit has staged a fourth-quarter comeback in all of its wins. Minnesota’s confidence was trending in the opposite direction with four straight losses before holding on for a 30-24 home triumph over Arizona on Sunday. Here are the most common responses I received and my thoughts on them. They haven’t played in the traditional holiday game in Detroit since falling 44-38 in 1995.

While the Vikings have struggled to find the win column over the past month, they continue to play strong defense.

The Washington Redskins scored 42 points on the Green Bay Packers in week 11, but should have a much tougher time against a 8-1 Cowboys defense that has been excellent all year.

Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer knows there are challenges.

In one respect, the Lions are like the Vikings in that they can’t run it either.

Opposing quarterbacks have a league-high 108.5 passer rating against the Lions defense. The Vikings are 9-2 SU and ATS over their past 11 such outings, including five road victories. However, Detroit somehow found a way to tie the game and then get the win in overtime. Cornerback Xavier Rhodes took two interceptions in the gmae, one of which he ran back for a 100 yard touchdown, while wide receiver Cordarelle Patterson returned the second half kickoff 104 yards to help put the Vikings as they hunt to make the playoffs.

Despite a history of mostly losing seasons, Lions fans have always cherished the spotlight of their annual Thanksgiving game.

The Lions were missing Darius Slay last time and that showed. Because of that, they seem to play very well, at least in recent years. In regulation, Matthew Stafford was limited to just 158 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception. One of the NFL’s best pass-catching running backs, Riddick was a nonfactor in that area against Minnesota with just one catch for 6 yards.

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PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: Vikings WR Stefon Diggs. His first career touchdown came in a 28-19 win at Ford Field as a rookie last season. Detroit has difficulty winning when Stafford isn’t at the top of his game, and their victory over Minnesota has been the one exception this season. Whether it be a “Turkey Bowl” with your family and friends, or watching the Thanksgiving NFL games after a great Thanksgiving meal, football is there. The Chicago Bears entered the game with a flawless record and the Lions had just one loss. Their pass defense is allowing just 226.3 yards per game.

The key for the Vikings will be containing quarterback Matt Stafford. Stafford completed close to 68 percent of his passes for 2,651 yards and an 18-to-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio, making him the seventh-best passer in the National Football League this season according to ESPN’s Total Quarterback Rating. The Lions are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 home games and 3-9 ATS in their last 12 vs. NFC North.

The Vikings this week have insisted they weren’t offended by Tate’s flip.

A reminder probably is not needed but the last time these two teams played, Minnesota thought they had the game won after going ahead 16-13 with just 23 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

The Vikings win last week made this game a lot more complicated to predict.