4 Bold Predictions: Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions – Week 16
By Adam Patrick
The Tay Train gets loose in the Motor City
Last week against the Dolphins, the Vikings’ rushing offense was finally able to put on an impressive performance. With Kevin Stefanski calling the plays for the first time ever, Minnesota rushed for a season-high 220 yards and three touchdowns on 40 carries.
Responsible for the majority of those rushing yards against Miami was the Vikings’ running back duo of Dalvin Cook and Latavius Murray. Cook ran for 136 yards and two scores on 19 carries while Murray pitched in with 68 rushing yards and a touchdown of his own on 15 attempts.
The amount of times Murray touched the ball is important to point out since Minnesota is 15-0 during games in which the veteran running back carries the football at least 15 times (including the playoffs).
One of these wins actually came last season against the Lions. During the Vikings’ win over Detroit last year, Murray finished with 84 yards and a touchdown on 20 rushing attempts.
With the way Minnesota ran the ball last week, it wouldn’t come as a surprise to see the veteran running back get a bunch of carries on Sunday against the Lions. So expect Murray to finish this week with at least 15 carries for 75 yards and two scores.