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Gameday: Vikings vs. Detroit
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> Line: Vikings by 13
> Series: Vikings lead 61-30-2
> Last: Vikings won 42-10 on
12/2/07 at Metrodome
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THE BIG THREE TRACK MEET
GAMEBREAKER: One guy who could change everything
Bernard Berrian, Vikings Berrian might have a sore knee and an aching big toe, but the opportunity to go against the Lions defense should make everything feel better for a day. Berrian has five of the Vikings' six longest receptions this season and has led the Vikings in receiving yards three times. His 110 receiving yards Monday marked the first time a Vikings player had a 100-yard receiving effort since the second game of the 2006 season.
1 Back on track Adrian Peterson is the NFL's third-leading rusher (452 yards) but hasn't had a 100-yard effort in the past three games and was held to 32 yards Monday at New Orleans. That's the bad news for Peterson. The good news is that the Lions are second-to-last in the league in rushing defense, giving up an average of 180 yards per game. Peterson had 116 yards on the ground and two touchdowns last season in the Vikings' 42-10 victory over the Lions at the Metrodome.
2 Getting on track The Vikings kickoff and punt coverage units are coming off an atrocious performance in New Orleans that left Minnesota ranked 30th in the NFL in the former category and dead last in the latter. The Saints' Reggie Bush tied an NFL record with two punt returns for touchdowns and New Orleans averaged 35.2 yards on punt returns and 25.4 on kickoff returns. That has to begin to change, especially with Devin Hester on deck next Sunday in Chicago. The Lions are 19th in punt return average and 20th in kick returns.
3 Firmly off track The winless Lions are deficient in so many areas. it's hard to know where to begin. Let's try with the NFL's worst-ranked defense. The Lions are bad against the pass (29th) and worse against the rush (30th). This isn't only good news for Peterson. Quarterback Gus Frerotte should be able to pick up where he left off in the fourth quarter Monday. Frerotte had thrown for 132 yards through three quarters but passed for 90 yards in the final 15 minutes and also had a touchdown pass.GAMEBREAKER: One guy who could change everything
Bernard Berrian, Vikings Berrian might have a sore knee and an aching big toe, but the opportunity to go against the Lions defense should make everything feel better for a day. Berrian has five of the Vikings' six longest receptions this season and has led the Vikings in receiving yards three times. His 110 receiving yards Monday marked the first time a Vikings player had a 100-yard receiving effort since the second game of the 2006 season.KEY STAT
10 Consecutive games the Vikings have won against the Lions at the Metrodome. The streak dates to the 1997 season when the Lions escaped with a 14-13 victory and swept the season series. The Vikings have won 11 of the past 12 against Detroit.IN FOCUS
He's catching on Vikings tight end Visanthe Shiancoe caught plenty of flak for dropping three passes in the first three games, including one that would have been a touchdown against the Colts in Week 2. But since hauling in a 34-yard scoring pass from Gus Frerotte in the third quarter of the Vikings' 20-10 victory over Carolina in Week 3, Shiancoe has proven to be a dependable receiving target. He leads the Vikings in touchdown receptions (two) and is third on the team with 12 catches.
JUDD'S PICK
Vikings 31, Lions 9 The Lions have given up 34, 48, 31 and 34 points in losing their first four games, and even facing an erratic Vikings offense, it's unlikely Detroit will be able to stop the bleeding. The only thing that could get the Vikings would be overlooking the woeful Lions.
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| Date/Opponent | Time | W | L | Score |
| Sep 13 - at Cleveland | 12:00 PM | 1 | 0 | 34-20 |
| Sep 20 - at Detroit | 12:00 PM | 2 | 0 | 27-13 |
| Sep 27 - vs. San Francisco | 12:00 PM | 3 | 0 | 27-24 |
| Oct 5 - vs. Green Bay | 7:30 PM | 4 | 0 | 30-23 |
| Oct 11 - at St. Louis | 12:00 PM | 5 | 0 | 38-10 |
| Oct 18 - vs. Baltimore | 12:00 PM | 6 | 0 | 33-31 |
| Oct 25 - at Pittsburgh | 12:00 PM | 6 | 1 | 17-27 |
| Nov 1 - at Green Bay | 3:15 PM | 7 | 1 | 38-26 |
| Open | ||||
| Nov 15 - vs. Detroit | 12:00 PM | 8 | 1 | 27-10 |
| Nov 22 - vs. Seattle | 12:00 PM | 9 | 1 | 35-9 |
| Nov 29 - vs. Chicago | 3:15 PM | |||
| Dec 6 - at Arizona | 3:15 PM | |||
| Dec 13 - vs. Cincinnati | 12:00 PM | |||
| Dec 20 - at Carolina | 7:20 PM | |||
| Dec 28 - at Chicago | 7:30 PM | |||
| Jan 3 - vs. NY Giants | 12:00 PM |
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