The last time the Detroit Lions played in Minnesota, they celebrated a big win, taking a six-point victory over the Vikings that gave them their first division title in 30 years.
As the Lions head back to U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, they will find the Vikings in a strong position. With 12 weeks left in the season, nothing is certain, but the Lions are deep into a tough battle for the NFC North title.
“What a test we’re going to have this week,” said Lions coach Dan Campbell. “These guys are playing really good football.”
The Vikings share this outlook as they come off their bye week with a perfect 5-0 record, making them the only undefeated team in the NFC.
The Lions, at 4-1, are close to being unbeaten themselves, having a bye in Week 5 sandwiched between two impressive wins, scoring a total of 89 points. They dominated the Dallas Cowboys with a 47-9 victory on the road last week.
“With how well everybody’s playing in our division, these division games are going to be really important,” noted Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell, mentioning that the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers are right behind them at 4-2.
The Lions have just achieved their highest-scoring two-game stretch since 1962, managing at least three passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in back-to-back games for the first time since then, and only the third time in franchise history.
Their initial three games were quite inconsistent, but now they have restored the power of a balanced offense.
The Lions boast a strong passing game along with one of the best running back duos in the league: David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.
Montgomery has at least 70 total yards and a rushing touchdown in each of his first five games, becoming the 10th player in NFL history to accomplish this. He has been impressive, running over defenders in the last two weeks.
“If you look around the league at all the running backs, I don’t know if you’ll find one who’s playing better,” said quarterback Jared Goff. “It’s fun to have him on our team. And Gibbs is right there, too.”
