Minnesota Vikings Could Catch A Mega-Break This Week

On Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings will host the Detroit Lions at TCF Bank Stadium for their sixth game of the 2014 NFL season. The Vikings are just a game behind the Lions in the NFC North, after the Lions dropped to 3-2 following a loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

However, it appears that the Lions might have significantly bigger problems to worry about heading into Minnesota.

According to Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback column for today, the Lions could be without two major components of their offense when they take on the Vikings. Wide receiver Calvin Johnson aggravated an ankle injury that he was dealing with in yesterday's loss, and running back Reggie Bush. . .who ran wild against the Vikings in the 2013 season opener. . .suffered an ankle injury of his own.

Johnson's injury has really limited him over the past couple of weeks, as he has just three catches for 19 yards over the Lions' last two games, serving largely as a decoy in those contests. You never want to see a player injured, particularly one of Megatron's caliber, but I think we can all agree that the Detroit offense is significantly easier to defend without him on the field.

Losing Reggie Bush is no small issue for the Lions, either, particularly considering that fellow running back Joique Bell is dealing with concussion issues. Bush adds a unique dimension to the Detroit offense with his receiving ability as well as his running skills, and his loss could also limit what Matthew Stafford and company are able to do offensively.

This will be one of the bigger stories about today's game as the week progresses. Our friends over at Pride of Detroit will surely have more on this as the week goes on.