Why Brooke picked the Vikings: Game 272 is for all the NFC marbles. The winner claims the division and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, while the loser heads on the road for a wild-card meeting next week. The Lions edged the Vikings in their first meeting in Week 7, and they continue to flex their muscle despite having countless injuries to key players. Both Jared Goff and Sam Darnold are playing the best football of their careers thanks to excellent play-calling by Ben Johnson and Kevin O’Connell, respectively, and having exquisite playmakers around them. These two offenses are moving the ball at will, and it’s a beautiful thing to watch. Thus, the final outcome hinges on which defense will make the most plays Sunday night. Goff has been great against man coverage all season long, throwing for 19 TDs with zero interceptions, but will face a Brian Flores-led unit that plays a lot of zone, which Goff has struggled against at times (17 pass TDs, 10 INTs). Despite playing zone coverage on 74.1 percent of opposing dropbacks, Minnesota’s defense is no slouch when it does play man either, allowing a 69 percent passer rating (lowest in the NFL) and recording the second-most INTs with eight, per Next Gen Stats. On the flip side, Detroit’s defense is allowing the most yards per play (7.4) since Week 14, and it has struggled to get to the quarterback on a regular basis (yes, Aidan Hutchinson still leads the team in sacks despite not playing in the last 11 games). The Lions have relied on the blitz, an area in which Darnold thrives, and must find a way to slow Minnesota’s deep passing attack. The Vikings duo of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison will look to take advantage of a defense that has allowed 389 yards on deep passes (20-plus air yards) since Week 14, per Next Gen Stats.
Detroit desperately needs a week off with all the injuries, and Minnesota is gaining some serious momentum heading into the postseason. I won’t be surprised in the least bit to see Detroit win the season finale, but based on injuries and how each defense is playing right now, I’m riding with Minnesota.
