4 Lions players the Vikings should worry about in Week 9

Marvin Jones Jr. – WR

With Kenny Golladay out, Marvin Jones Jr. slides into the No. 1 receiver role for the Lions this week. Whether he’s No. 1, No. 2, or even No. 4, it hasn’t seemed to matter because this Motor City Kitty is an absolute Vikings killer.

Jones destroyed Minnesota last season. In his first contest against the Vikings, he had 10 receptions for 93 yards and four scores. While it’s unlikely he goes off for that kind of stat line again, Minnesota needs to have that performance in the back of their minds and do whatever they can to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

On paper, Jones is a horrible matchup for the Vikings’ ragtag group of corners. He measures in at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds with solid hands and decent speed. He can make grabs in tight coverage and the biggest advantage he possesses is his eight seasons of experience.

Jones has been around the block and he has acquired a wide variety of subtle moves that can confuse and trick young corners into thinking they are seeing one thing when he’s going to do something completely different.

Minnesota would be wise to keep two corners on this guy when possible on Sunday and float a safety his way every time he spreads out wide. If Jones goes off the way like he did in their first meeting of 2019, the Vikings will almost assuredly suffer their sixth loss of the season.