Anticipation builds for huge Vikings-Lions game: 'It's gonna be a dogfight'

The hype for this week's Vikings-Lions showdown is entirely justified.

Dec 24, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (26) runs the ball as Minnesota Vikings safety Josh Metellus (44) defends during the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The hype is already building for this Sunday's showdown between the 5-0 Vikings and the 4-1 Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium — and rightfully so. First place in the ultra-competitive NFC North and the No. 1 seed in the NFC as a whole are on the line in this matchup between the top two teams in the NFL in DVOA. This is one of the biggest October games the Vikings have played in a while. It's also gotta be one of the more highly-anticipated games in the history of a Vikings-Lions rivalry that dates back to 1961.

Fresh off of some time away over the bye week, players in Minnesota dove into preparations for this battle on Monday. They know the challenge that lies ahead.

"We know this is a big game this week coming up," Jonathan Greenard said, via KSTP's Darren Wolfson. "It's gonna be a crazy environment. We know they're bringing it, they're playing very very good ball. Lots of respect for this team. It's gonna be a dogfight, 1000 percent."

The Lions are coming off of a 47-9 beatdown of the Cowboys on Sunday in Dallas. They averaged 7.5 yards per play, didn't punt or turn it over once, and came away with five takeaways. They did lose star DE and DPOY contender Aidan Hutchinson to a devastating season-ending injury, which has significant ramifications, but the Lions will be a handful to deal with nonetheless. It starts with their offense, which ranks first in points per game, third in yards per game, third in DVOA, and third in EPA per play.

Led by coordinator Ben Johnson and quarterback Jared Goff, who is 54 of 66 (81 percent) with 7 TDs and 1 INT over the last three games, the Lions' offense is a problem. They've got stars at the skill positions, a great offensive line, and one of the league's more creative play callers. The matchup between Detroit's offense and Brian Flores' league-best defense is going to be incredible.

"They have weapons everywhere," safety Camryn Bynum said. "Really good receivers, really good running backs, good quarterback. Across the board, it's a complete team. This is just one of those games that you know is going to be a battle going into it, but this is exactly what we're looking for. Two of the best teams in the league going at it."

The Lions' defense is no slouch, ranking fourth in DVOA, eighth in scoring, and 11th in opponent EPA per play. Losing Hutchinson hurts them, but they still have playmakers on that side of the ball.

This is the first of five key games left for the Vikings against division rivals. The NFC North has gotten a lot of well-deserved publicity coming out of a Week 6 Sunday where the non-Vikings teams went 3-0 by a combined 78 points. The North is now collectively 16-4 against non-division foes with a ridiculous +211 point differential. Amazingly, the top four teams in the NFL in point differential are the four teams in this division. One more stat: It's the first time "since realignment in 2002 with all four teams each having at least four wins through six weeks," ESPN's Adam Schefter tweeted Sunday night.

That means the 5-0 Vikings are just 1.5 games up over last place in the division, so how they fare against their rivals over the next three months will likely tell the story of this season. It starts on Sunday with a battle between the two best teams in the best division in football.

"If we wanna go the places we wanna go, it starts with our division," Josh Metellus said. "If we can handle our division, which is playing so well, playing at a high level, then we're setting ourselves up nicely for the rest."