The Minnesota Vikings are taking on their NFC North rival this week in front of a home crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Through three weeks of the 2017 NFL season, the Minnesota Vikings are 2-1. It still seems way to early to try and determine how much success they will have this year, but their matchup this week with the Detroit Lions could help in revealing a little more of their true potential.
In 2016, the Vikings lost both of their games to the Lions. Both contests were close, but the end result never ended up in Minnesota’s favor.
Heading into Sunday’s matchup, each team is 2-1 on the season and looking to keep pace with the Green Bay Packers for the division lead.
Which players on their roster will the Vikings need to step up and perform at a high level this week in order to have a chance at defeating Detroit?
Danielle Hunter, DE
After an offseason full of hype surrounding Hunter finally getting the opportunity to be a starter on Minnesota’s defense, the young pass-rusher has been held in check by opposing blockers so far in 2017.
In three games, Hunter has not been able to register a sack and only has a total of eight tackles. However, his mere presence on the field has likely had an effect on the success that fellow Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen has been experiencing this season (four sacks so far).
If Minnesota can figure out a way for both of their defensive ends to bring the pressure this week, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford could be in for a long day.
Kyle Rudolph, TE
2016 was a great year for Rudolph as he set single-season career highs in catches (83), targets (132), and receiving yards (840). But this year, the tight end has taken a bit of back seat in the Vikings’ offense.
With just eight catches in three games, Rudolph is on pace to only haul in just 43 passes this year.
Despite his slowdown in production, Minnesota’s offense seems to be doing just fine. So maybe it is actually a good thing that Rudolph has not been dominating the stat sheets this season?
Case Keenum, QB
For the past two weeks, the Vikings have had two different versions of Keenum out on the field.
During a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2, the quarterback was frantic, played scared, and could not figure out how to move the ball downfield to save his life (just 4.5 yards per pass attempt). Only a week later in a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Keenum exploded, throwing for 369 yards and three touchdowns while helping Minnesota’s offense finish the game with 494 total yards.
An educated guess would lead one to believe that Keenum should be able to have performance against Detroit somewhere in between the levels he has played at in the last two weeks. But the Vikings certainly would not mind him resembling something closer to how he played against the Buccaneers either.
Marcus Sherels, PR
At 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, Sherels has been able to remain with Minnesota for the past eight years because of one thing and one thing only.
He is one hell of a punt returner.
Now he may not be the flashiest of return men, but he has tremendous decision-making skills when the ball is in the air and occasionally he will take a punt all the way to the house for six. Sherels has yet to break one free in 2017 but this may be the week where it happens.
Next: Are the experts picking the Vikings to win in Week 4?
The Lions have a tough defense and points could be hard to come by for the Vikings’ offense on Sunday. So a punt return touchdown by Sherels this week could be the edge Minnesota needs to come out with a victory.