Vikings facing a must-win scenario vs. the Lions this week

With a tough stretch of games coming up, the Minnesota Vikings cannot afford to lose a divisional matchup against the Detroit Lions this week.

In the last five weeks, the Minnesota Vikings have lost two games to teams with a combined record of 14-1. If not for their incredibly random loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 3, the Vikings would be sitting with a respectable 5-2-1 record right now.

But they did lose to the Bills, so Minnesota currently has a 4-3-1 record and is a half of a game behind first place in the NFC North.

With their three losses and a tie through the first eight weeks of the season, the Vikings are now at a point this year where they really cannot afford to lose many more games if they want to end up in the playoffs. Which is why this week’s divisional matchup against the Detroit Lions is a contest that absolutely needs to result in a win for Minnesota.

Not only is it a game between two members of the NFC North, but it is also one of the few favorable matchups left on the Vikings’ 2018 schedule.

Minnesota will be playing Sunday’s game at home inside U.S. Bank Stadium against a 3-4 Lions team that just traded away the best receiver on their roster. On paper, this is a matchup the Vikings should win.

However, for some reason Minnesota has struggled at home against Detroit recently. In the only two games between these teams inside U.S. Bank Stadium, it has been the Lions leaving the building with a win.

This cannot be the outcome again for the Vikings this season though. Minnesota needs to get a win on Sunday.

A victory this week will only help the Vikings in their fight for the top of the NFC North this year. A battle that will likely come down to the final few games of the season.

After Sunday’s game, Minnesota will have a their bye week. Following their time off, the Vikings will return for a final stretch of matchups that includes showdowns on the road against the Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, and Seattle Seahawks.

Looking at the rest of their schedule, winning the NFC North or qualifying for the playoffs this season is certainly not going to be an easy task for Minnesota to accomplish. But at the same time, it is a task that the Vikings are fully capable of completing.

First though, Minnesota must take care of business on their home field this week and get a win over the Lions.