Minnesota Vikings: 3 Bold predictions for Week 9 vs. Lions

3. Vikings take advantage of no Stafford

So far this season, Minnesota’s passing game and defense, in general, have been a weak spot on a team that has traditionally had a relatively solid defensive unit year-in and year-out since Mike Zimmer took over as head coach.

Through seven games, the Vikings defense has allowed opposing offenses to score an average of 30.6 points per contest, which is the fourth-most among NFL teams heading into Week 9 of the regular season.

When it comes to yards through the air in the passing game specifically, Minnesota has given up a total of 2,011 passing yards, which ranks seventh-most in the league. On average, the Vikings are giving up 287.3 yards through the air in 2020 (third-most in the NFL).

That might be something Minnesota will have to try and fix going into this weekend and beyond, especially given Detroit’s likeliness to airing the ball out in any given game.

One thing that will weigh heavily on this is if Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford indeed plays in the game. On Wednesday, Stafford was placed on Detroit’s Reserve/COVID-19 list, but could be cleared before Sunday’s game in Minnesota if he continues to test negative for the virus.

If Stafford is out for the game, that changes things and the Vikings might catch a bit of a break specifically in the passing defense throughout the contest. If the veteran quarterback does play, the Vikings will have their work cut out for them in trying to contain him and the Lions passing attack, something that has been an issue all season long.