4 Key Vikings Players vs. Lions

The Minnesota Vikings travel to Michigan this week for their second road trip within the NFC North division already this season. A showdown against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field may be the toughest test of the Vikings’ unbeaten streak yet. Here we look at four key Vikings players for this matchup.

4 Key Vikings Players vs. Lions

With two wins in the division already — at home against Green Bay and on the road in Chicago — Minnesota can seriously strengthen their grip on the division with a third win, while also moving to 7-0 and remaining the front-runner in the NFC Conference. There is heavy focus on the Vikings with outsiders looking on waiting/expecting them to come unstuck. Victory is achievable here and in order for that to happen these are four key Vikings players who need to have strong games.

Justin Jefferson

The Vikings’ WR1 began with a promising first game of the season against the Green Bay Packers where he caught 8 of 9 targets for 92 yards and 2 touchdowns – all of which are season highs. Minnesota has struggled to get Jefferson consistently involved since then.

There have been highlight reel plays to remind you of the man’s talents but Kevin O’Connell needs to find ways to keep his star player consistently involved. Of course, Jefferson comes under unprecedented attention from opposing defenses that open opportunities for other players, but even that isn’t being taken advantage of enough. This would be a great time for one of those big Jefferson games where he just takes over.

When it comes to key Vikings players, no one is more important than Jefferson.

Blake Cashman

Last week I picked out Blake Cashman as a key player and the linebacker delivered in a big way. A performance that saw 12 tackles, including 2 tackles for loss, 4 passes defended, and 2 sacks, was enough to earn Cashman the NFC Defensive Player of the Week – making him the fifth Viking to win a player of the week award this season.

Cashman will be important again in the Vikings’ attempts to slow down the explosive Jahmyr Gibbs and put quarterback Jared Goff under pressure. He has been performing at a high level this season with his overall PFF grade of 86.2, the second-best among linebackers across the league. Minnesota will be hoping for more of the same this Sunday.

Dallas Turner

If Jared Goff has time to get his passes off then the Vikings are going to be in trouble. Under pressure, Goff can struggle, and while the pressure needs to and will come from all over, the Vikings need their top rusher to have a good day, often up against one of the best tackles in the league.

Dallas Turner can prove himself as an elite pass rusher working against Penei Sewell this week. Turner isn’t going to dominate him; Sewell is too good. But finding ways to get Turner victories needs to be a big part of the defensive game plan.

Jordan Mason

It’s back-to-back weeks for Jordan Mason as well, but this time his role is potentially even more important after Aaron Jones was knocked out of last week’s game with a knee injury.

Jones has been battling a knee problem all season and even if he does make it to play in this game, the sensible option would surely be for Mason to carry the load. It’s no secret that Coach O’Connell is trying to lead a more run-focused offense this year which will put a heavy workload on Mason. It will be a big ask, and the health of the Vikings’ running backs only adds fuel to the speculation of a potential Jonathan Taylor (or other RB) trade, but for this week it could all be on Mason’s shoulders.