Vikings Can Guarantee .500 With Win Over Lions

NFL News - November 9th, 2009 - Written by John

The Minnesota Vikings need just one win in their next three divisional games to at least lock-up a divisional tiebreaker. They will go for it this weekend as the biggest favorites of the day when they host the Detroit Lions.

The Vikings are giving the Lions a 16 1/2-point head start on Sunday, according to BetUS, with a 48-point over/under posted. Before betting on the game be sure to check out our NFL Week 10 Betting odds and stopping by our NFL Week 10 game previews for all the information you need to place an informed bet.

Minnesota has rocketed into the league's elite with multiple players statistically among the top. Brett Favre is the second rated passer in the NFL, Adrian Peterson is fourth in rushing and defensive end Jared Allen has more sacks (10 1/2) than anyone.

Minnesota has done nothing but roll with Favre as quarterback. He accomplished his personal, albeit private, goals of sticking it to his former employer. Now, he can focus on the team goals of returning to the playoffs for the second year in a row, the first time the franchise has done it since the late 90s. Favre is just 0.1 points behind Drew Brees for top-rated passer, after starting the season with 16 touchdowns and only three interceptions.

Peterson has also pulled his weight, tied with Steven Jackson with 784 yards and also has nine touchdowns. Sidney Rice is having a career year with 37 catches and 585 yards so far, well on his way to his first 1,000-yard season.

Percy Harvin is looking more-and-more like a runaway Rookie of The Year each week. He has over 350 yards receiving to go along with 860 return yards and five total touchdowns. His average of 30.6 yards per return is second just behind Ted Ginn, Jr. (who padded his stats two weeks ago with a pair of 100-yard touchdowns).

The most impressive thing is that Minnesota has been so good despite ranking in the middle of the pack in total offense and defense.

But the last time they faced the Lions, the Vikings weren't able to break away until late. That has been the story all year for Detroit, who, with a full roster, have been competitive in the first half of nearly every game. Last week, they raced to a 17-3 lead against the Seahawks, only to suffer the customary flop in the second half.

But a full roster has been a major if. Banged up Matthew Stafford has missed two games this year, wide receiver Calvin "Megatron" Johnson has missed two and running back Kevin Smith has missed one. It has led to an inability to create any momentum throughout the year, losing games to silly errors and mismanagement.

In his first game back, Stafford threw five interceptions against the Seahawks, but has showcased an accurate arm on occasion. He and Johnson are still working on better cohesiveness, but once found can provide one of the league's best tandems. Despite sitting for the last two games, Johnson leads the team with 352 yards, although he's only found the end zone once.

To discuss this and other NFL related stories be sure to check out our new forum at:
https://www.usaplayers.com/forums/nfl-news/