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For the second consecutive season, the Minnesota Vikings are going to spend Turkey Day in Detroit. The Lions will host the division leaders in a crucial NFC North matchup that could go a long way toward deciding each team’s playoff fate. If the Vikings can win, they will take a commanding three game lead in the division with five games to play. If Detroit completes the sweep, they’ll effectively only be a half-game back since they will hold any tiebreakers over the Vikings.
Both teams are coming into the game playing well. Minnesota hasn’t lost since their Week 4 home matchup against the Lions, while Detroit has won their past three contests.
The Vikings seem to be a much better team than the one that lost Dalvin Cook for the season and struggled to score points during their October 1 matchup at US Bank Stadium. Case Keenum has really come into his own and the defense is fresh off a throttling of one of the league’s best offenses. The Lions defense has regressed a bit since the first month of the season, but Mathew Stafford and the Lions have had the Vikings’ number lately. It should be a great Thanksgiving feast of football at Ford Field on Thursday.