Detroit Lions travel to Minnesota to face NFC North rival
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (CBS DETROIT) - The Detroit Lions (1-1) head on the road to face their NFC North rival, the Minnesota Vikings as they look to go over .500 for the first time since the 2019 season when they went 2-0-1 to start the season.
The Lions hope to carry the momentum from last game against the Washington Commanders, where a strong defensive game helped them win 36 to 27.
Rookies Aidan Hutchinson and Malcolm Rodriguez led that defense, with Rodriguez leading the team with six solo tackles. First-round pick Hutchinson showed he was worth that pick, as he had three solo sacks in the game.
In a news conference Thursday ahead of this week's plan, Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn said the team's defense last week is what they aim to be, after allowing zero points and getting a safety in the first half.
"That's something we've worked on since the offseason and we're steady working to that. Especially when you start to integrate new players like we have over these past two years, so we've got to continue going," said Glenn. "We got to continue building, continue improving and I think our head coach said it best, we're in a race to improve."
The Lions also hope to carry some offensive momentum into the Vikings game. Against the Commanders, quarterback Jared Goff threw for 256 yards and four touchdowns.
Goff spoke about how the offense is preparing for the game in a news conference on Wednesday.
"It's always about like the pass rushers right first thing you see but at the same time, you know on that defense, I know. Harrison Smith and Eric Kendricks are the best at what they do and have been for a long time," said Goff. "So you see those guys as well as Patrick Peterson who's been around for so long. They've got some really good vets as well as a really good pass rush that we'll be ready for."
The Lions are facing a Minnesota Vikings (1-1) team that is coming off a primetime slaughter by the Philadelphia Eagles, who won 24 to 7 Monday night.
Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins will hope to have a better outing against Detroit. The veteran threw three interceptions and had a QBR of just 18.1 against the Eagles.
Despite Minnesota's tough game against the Eagles, Glenn says they can't ignore some of their star players like wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
"There's no doubt he's one of the top, you know top five in this league. He's steady rising. He plays with a chip on the shoulder. He's highly competitive." Glenn said. "They put him in a lot of different positions right where they can get him the ball which I think is a credit to that staff."
The game kicks off at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
The Vikings lead the all-time series 79-40-2 but the Lions are the last to win, beating Minnesota 29 to 27 in week 13 last year for their first win of the season.