Minnesota travels to the Motor City

Vikings face a terrible Lions team

The Vikings travel to the Motor City this Sunday to take on the winless Lions in an attempt to pad their lead in the NFC North.

This looks to be the first game of the four game suspensions that will be served by Minnesota DTs Pat and Kevin Williams for use of a league-banned diuretic. The absence of the “Williams Wall” will definitely have a negative effect on the overall effective of the Vikings’ defense. This week remains a winnable game even without the Williams’, but after that comes three straight games against teams with playoff aspirations (@Arizona, vs. Atlanta, vs. New York Giants). DE Jared Allen will now likely face more double teams in their absence, which would put the onus on DE Ray Edwards and the replacements for the interior Pro Bowlers to make more plays on the defensive line. As of this writing, suspensions were announced but there could be some pending legal action that could hold up the process even more.

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Adding to the potential drama of this week’s game is Lions’ QB Daunte Culpepper. He will likely be looking to show his former team he is now 100% healthy, and would love to spoil the Vikings’ playoff hopes. On the flipside, Culpepper could look to force things some, which could provide opportunities for the Vikings’ secondary to get interceptions.

The first game between these two teams was the closest the Lions have come to winning a game this season, as the Vikings won 12-10 in Week 6 at the Metrodome.

The Vikings will be looking to beat the Lions more convincingly this time around, while also avoiding a letdown after winning their past two games in convincing fashion.

Brad Berreman

ProFootball-fans.com Vikings corespondent