Detroit Lions WR Jameson Williams speaks on his lack of catches
Detroit Lions WR Jameson Williams said he spoke with OC John Morton and added that he wasn’t concerned about his lack of catches on the season.
It’s an increasingly rare 1 p.m. start for the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Nov. 2 – which, considering their schedule this season (with just two more 1 p.m. games this season, both set for Thanksgiving week), feels almost like a 9 a.m. West Coast start. (Did we mention clocks rolled back early Sunday morning? They did.)
Time flies, when it’s not rolling back an hour, which is what we say to gloss over just how far the Vikings have fallen since they last visited Detroit, on Jan. 5 – back then, the game at Ford Field was for the NFC North title and the No. 1 seed in the conference. (Of course, both teams lost in the first round of the playoffs, but that’s a disappointing factoid for January, not November). And now? The Vikes are 3-4 and 2½ games back of division leader Green Bay. Gone is QB Sam Darnold, allowed to leave in free agency in favor of handing the starting job to former first-round pick (and Michigan alumnus) J.J. McCarthy. (Also gone: Backup QB Carson Wentz, who went down with a season-ending shoulder injury last week.) Meanwhile, the Lions are 5-2 – a game back of the Packers – and beginning to get healthy again.
Will it be back to the future for the Vikings and Lions today, or simply on to divergent paths – the Lions toward the playoffs and the Vikings toward a top-10 draft pick? Six Free Press sports writers have some thoughts.
Dave Birkett
The Lions and Vikings played two thrillers last year, when both teams were among the best in the NFL and the season finale decided the NFC North. The Vikings aren’t nearly as good this year, with former Michigan star J.J. McCarthy making his third career start at quarterback behind a beat-up offensive line, and I don’t expect this game to be nearly as entertaining.
The Lions are well-rested coming off the bye and they won’t be looking ahead to big games later this month against the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers. The Vikings’ only hope is to control the ball and get a huge day from wide receiver Justin Jefferson. I expect the Lions to force a turnover or two and Jahmyr Gibbs to have another big game in a comfortable Lions victory. The pick: Lions 31, Vikings 17.
Carlos Monarrez
This feels like a lost season for the Vikings, so why not give J.J. McCarthy his third NFL start in one of the toughest environments in the NFL against one of the league’s best teams, instead of starting him next week at home against the struggling Baltimore Ravens? Nah! Aidan Hutchinson will sack his old Michigan teammate twice, the Lions will pick off McCarthy twice, and the Vikings’ defense, which can’t stop the run, will get trucked by Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. The pick: Lions 31, Vikings 16.
Christian Romo
Very few teams would feel comfortable facing a well-rested Lions team, and the last-place Vikings are probably not on that list. Lions star Jahmyr Gibbs will have another 100-yard rushing game, wide receiver Jameson Williams will get his third touchdown catch of the year and the Lions will cruise at home for one of their easiest wins of the season. The pick: Lions 31, Vikings 17.
Rainer Sabin
The last time these two teams met, in a winner-take-all showdown for the division title and the NFC’s No. 1 seed, they were much more evenly matched. And yet the Lions still won by 22 points. Since then, Minnesota has fallen a couple tiers below Detroit because its quarterback situation is a bit of a mess.
Former Michigan football J.J. McCarthy – who has started two games in his pro career – remains unproven at this level. The Lions’ ball-hawking defense should take advantage of McCarthy’s inexperience while Jared Goff and Co. once again find the answers needed to foil the tactics of Minnesota DC Brian Flores. The pick: Lions 34, Vikings 17.
Jeff Seidel
Yes, it will be wild to see J.J. McCarthy back in the state of Michigan, doing his thing. But don’t forget something. Even though McCarthy has been in the NFL for a while now, he has thrown only 41 career passes because of injuries. He’s still raw, still incredibly inexperienced. And he will be going up an improving Lions defense. On the other hand, the Lions spent the bye week focusing on third downs. I gotta think the Lions will find a way to get Jameson Williams the ball, force McCarthy into mistakes and roll to the win. The pick: Lions 31, Vikings 21.
Shawn Windsor
It’s hard to fathom that J.J. McCarthy will come into Ford Field and do what Baker Mayfield couldn’t a couple weeks back. But Minnesota’s defense is aggressive and opportunistic, and we’ll give them a few extra points for creating a short field (or two). Still, the Lions just had a nice week to rest and study. They aren’t where they want to be offensively. They’ll be looking to get going on that. The pick: Lions 31, Vikings 13.