We are less than an hour away from kickoff at U.S. Bank Stadium between the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings in a game that will determine Minnesota’s NFC North title prospects. If the Vikings win out, they will win the division, but it must begin today. This is everything you need to know about it.
Date and Time: Sunday, December 24, 2023, 12 p.m. Central Time
U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Television coverage includes KMSP-9 in Minneapolis, FOX affiliates across the country, and YouTube TV’s Sunday Ticket.
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Vikings Radio Network, SiriusXM Channel 22 (Vikings feed), SiriusXM App Channel 820 provide radio coverage.
Vikings +3, Over/Under 47.5.
Chris’ Pick: Vikings 24, Lions 20.
Three Crucial Points
1) Stop the run – This is a simple one. The Lions have one of the strongest rushing offenses in the league with to David Montgomery and youngster Jahmyr Gibbs, while the Vikings have one of the finest run defenses in the league all season. If the Vikings can slow down the run game, they’ll be able to get after Jared Goff on passing downs and force some turnovers. It’s going to be a long day if they can’t halt the run.
2) Do not turn the ball over – As before. Last week in Cincinnati, the Vikings drove the ball up and down the field, but two critical turnovers in scoring position cost them the game. Simply simply, against a squad like Detroit, you can’t afford to do that. To have a shot here, the Vikings must keep the ball better than they have in the past.
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The year is 1993, and the date is November 25th. We were at Texas Stadium for a Thanksgiving Day game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins. Dallas has a one-point advantage, but Miami is lining up for a field goal in the final seconds. A big kick might give the Dolphins a chance to take a big win over the defending Super Bowl champions. There’s a lot to unpack before we see what happens next. To accomplish so, we must go back in time.
3) Get started quickly – This is the annual(?) Winter Whiteout game at U.S. Bank Stadium, and the crowd will be pumped. The Vikings will benefit greatly if they can get off to a fast start and whip up the crowd. The Vikings haven’t lost at home to Detroit since 2017, and they can’t afford to lose this one if they want to remain in contention for the division title.
Know Your Enemy: Detroit’s Pride
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As always, a new Open Thread will begin at the beginning of each quarter, so keep an eye out for them and keep the discussion going.
Let’s hope that in approximately three hours, we’ll be able to talk about the Vikings getting back on track and keeping their divisional title dreams alive.
SKOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL VIKINGS!!!!
