MINNESOTA VIKINGS (6-4)	WEEK 12	DETROIT LIONS (6-4)
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Happy Thanksgiving, ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for joining us for today's Thanksgiving Day contest between the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions from Ford Field. First place in the NFC North is on the line in this one, while the Vikings look to avenge the game they gave away at U.S. Bank Stadium a couple of weeks ago.

So, what can Minnesota do in order to ensure that they fly home for Thanksgiving in first place and back in the post-season picture?

1) Get pressure on Matthew Stafford - In the game at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Vikings only managed to get to Stafford one time and didn't really generate a lot of pressure on the Lions' signal caller. Stafford has had a very solid season so far, but he's still shown the ability to make bad throws under pressure. Sunday's performance against Arizona looked like the pass rush we had seen over the first few weeks of this season, and Minnesota is going to need a lot more of that from guys like Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter to throw Stafford off today.

2) Continue being creative with the offense - With Stefon Diggs sitting this one out with a knee injury, the Vikings are going to have to continue to get production from other sources on offense. Sam Bradford has been efficient and has played relatively turnover-free football, and he's going to have to lean on players like Adam Thielen and Cordarrelle Patterson in this one. The Vikings' running game is still a mess, and a player like Patterson could play a role in making short, quick passes more of an extension of the run game.

3) Win on special teams - The Vikings had defensive lapses the last time these two teams met, but for a missed extra point by Blair Walsh could have still pulled out a victory in regulation. We know that the punting game is solid with Jeff Locke having his best season and the return game should be alright with Patterson and Thielen handling things (the latter of whom I assume steps in on punt returns with Diggs and Marcus Sherels both sitting this one out). If this game is a close one like the previous meeting, then one or two plays on special teams could make all the difference.

We're less than an hour away from kickoff in Detroit, folks. We'll have an Open Thread ready for the start of each quarter, so keep your eyes peeled for that. Let's hope that the Vikings' can get a win and get themselves back on top of the NFC North.

SKOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL VIKINGS!!!!