If this is how Detroit is gonna play defense next week…

Agreed. It seems like all those injuries on their D have caught up to them.

Flores needs to get his crew alert for trick plays, pitches, etc.

Trick plays will be a big thing. That and 4th downs all the time.

They can't stop us, not the way they're playing now. 49ers put up 475 yards on them, the hapless Bears rang 'em for 382. The Bills 559.

The previous game went down to the wire and we played them without Hockenson, without Cashman and at a time when Darnold was not playing quite at the level he is now.

The weird thing I've noticed the last 4 weeks watching the Lions... They've been putting some trick plays out there each game.

They've worked, but I wonder why you wouldn't be saving these for the playoffs? It's not like they need them, their offense is plenty good to beat the teams they've played down the stretch.

I get wanting to put it on tape to make teams think you're might try some quirky shit, but some of these are designed well and seem like it would be better to keep it in your back pocket in the playoffs when you need a spark.

Here's a visual representation of what has happened to the Lions defense. The graph is reversed so that better games (lower defensive DVOA) appear higher. You can see that the Lions have had five straight games with defense worse than average. pic.twitter.com/p7taRAN7X3

— Aaron Schatz 🏈 (@ASchatzNFL) December 31, 2024

I really wish the Vikings were still under the radar...Thats gone.

Lets see how they do on the road when there is an awful lot at stake. I particularly want to see how Darnold handles the heat.

Everything going into this points to a shoot out.

-2.5 is still a bit of a shock to me.

purplefaithful wrote:
I really wish the Vikings were still under the radar...Thats gone.

Lets see how they do on the road when there is an awful lot at stake. I particularly want to see how Darnold handles the heat.

Everything going into this points to a shoot out.

-2.5 is still a bit of a shock to me.

Too high or too low?

MAD GAINZ wrote:
The weird thing I've noticed the last 4 weeks watching the Lions...  They've been putting some trick plays out there each game.

They've worked, but I wonder why you wouldn't be saving these for the playoffs?  It's not like they need them, their offense is plenty good to beat the teams they've played down the stretch.

I get wanting to put it on tape to make teams think you're might try some quirky shit, but some of these are designed well and seem like it would be better to keep it in your back pocket in the playoffs when you need a spark.

but if they throw a new wrinkle or two out every week,  for each of their base formations,  that gets to be a lot of extra studying for opposing defenses every week,  not to mention that much more shit rolling through the defenders head on every play which will make some guys a few steps slower as they are processing the options.  not to mention, if they flip sides it looks like a new play quite often.

I wonder if KOC has the shootout in his repertoire,  is he ready to win every possession when the opposing team is  matching him score for score?  KOC seems more like a road course driver gas, brakes, gas, brake,  I dont recall ever seeing him try and just run a drag race type of game where he just mashes it.

MaroonBells wrote:

Too high or too low?

IT was shockingly low imo...

But you have to remember, I have extreme PTSD too. 

I went to the Packer game quietly confident, this one? Not so sure.

purplefaithful wrote:

IT was shockingly low imo...

But you have to remember, I have extreme PTSD too. 

I went to the Packer game quietly confident, this one? Not so sure.

Truth be told, I'm a little more confident about this one than I was the Packer game. I don't expect us to stop the Lions' offense, but I do expect the Vikings offense to move the ball almost at will against their crap defense. Packers defense is much better IMO. 

To win, BFlo will just need to force a couple turnovers and I can see that happening. In the first game, Flores had his defense ready to play, as the Lions gained 16 total yards on their first three possessions.

MaroonBells wrote:

Truth be told, I'm a little more confident about this one than I was the Packer game. I don't expect us to stop the Lions' offense, but I do expect the Vikings offense to move the ball almost at will against their crap defense. Packers defense is much better IMO. 

To win, BFlo will just need to force a couple turnovers and I can see that happening. In the first game, Flores had his defense ready to play, as the Lions gained 16 total yards on their first three possessions.

I will literally lose my shit if they win this one...AND the next ;)

There is a factoid about this game that might seem irresistible to the football gods who've enjoyed torturing Viking fans for the last 60 years. And that's the fact that no team in the history of the NFL has ever won 14 games and been a wild card team. No team has ever been that good and still forced to take a 5th seed and fight their way thru three road games in order to reach the Super Bowl. 

I'm optimistic about this game, I really am. But this factoid seems too "Vikings" for it to not happen.

MaroonBells wrote:
There is a factoid about this game that might seem irresistible to the football gods who've enjoyed torturing Viking fans for the last 60 years. And that's the fact that no team in the history of the NFL has ever won 14 games and been a wild card team. No team has ever been that good and still forced to take a 5th seed and fight their way thru three road games in order to reach the Super Bowl. 

I'm optimistic about this game, I really am. But this factoid seems too "Vikings" for it to not happen.

got to remember though that we are in the 17 game era and much of the NFL history was built on 16 and 14 game seasons,  so it stands to reason that we should look at it as 13 wins or even 12 wins to stack against the historical data.  

interesting fact... the first NFL championship game was actually played indoors!  apparently the weather in Chicago was deemed to bad to play it at Wrigley where it was scheduled so it was moved indoors and played on an 80 yard field.

I don't feel great about this one game, but think we find a way to win the whole bleeping thing regardless. It's our year!

Turnovers will decide this game...

6 touchdowns should win it…  :cool: :angel: SKOL Vikes!!! 

VikingzFanPage
@vikingzfanpage
The over/under for this Sunday’s #Vikings vs. #Lions game is set at 57.5 total points, according to
@ESPNBET
. This marks the highest total since the #Chiefs vs. #Titans matchup in 2021.

Expect some fireworks on Sunday

Its going to be highly entertaining for the country to watch, a shoot out type. Will be stressful for both Vikings and Lions fans. Expect wild shit to happen. Campbell is going to put his nuts on the table, lets see if KOC can squash them.

JimmyinSD wrote:



I wonder if KOC has the shootout in his repertoire,  is he ready to win every possession when the opposing team is  matching him score for score?  KOC seems more like a road course driver gas, brakes, gas, brake,  I dont recall ever seeing him try and just run a drag race type of game where he just mashes it.

KOC didn't have the QB in that with Korko. I mean, have we forgotten that Detroit had to win the game against Minnesota with a last minute FG? Goff threw 2 TDs, Detroit punted 4 times....one more than Minnesota. You ain't drag racing with a dump truck like Cousins. The offense can be whatever KOC wants it to be with Darnold, there's zero limitations.

MaroonBells wrote:
VikingzFanPage @vikingzfanpage The over/under for this Sunday’s #Vikings vs. #Lions game is set at 57.5 total points, according to @ESPNBET . This marks the highest total since the #Chiefs vs. #Titans matchup in 2021.

Expect some fireworks on Sunday

I would take the under all day long