The Detroit Lions Can LOCK the NFC North

Jeff Iafrate and Sam Reynolds discuss how the Detroit Lions could win the NFC North division for the first time in franchise history with a week 16 win over the Minnesota Vikings. Like, Subscribe and leave your comment below!

#DetroitLions #NFL #WoodwardSports #NFLDraft #OnePride #NFCNorth #MinnesotaVikings

Become a #WoodwardSports Member!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8sYt4QHV6ZgOyL57ATacwQ/join

Watch Our Shows Live on YouTube 7 Days a Week!
Morning Woodward Show | Monday-Friday 8am-10am
Big D Energy | Monday-Friday 11am-1pm
Ermanni and Edwards | Monday-Friday 2pm-4pm
Woodward Heavyweights | Monday-Friday 5pm-7pm
Woodward Nights | Monday-Friday 8pm-10pm

Follow The Woodward Sports Network!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/woodwardsports
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@woodwardsports?lang=en
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/woodwardsports/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WoodwardSports/

Download Our App for Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/wsn-live/id1553068845
Download Our App for Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wsnlive.androidapp

This is a very very special weekend because the Lions have an opportunity to win and lock up the NFC North and lock up a playoff spot now Benji says we miss Stafford talk over Pistons talk yeah last night man that Ram steam telling you they’re they’re

They’re heating up at the at the right time for them yes uh puka nakua should be offensive rookie of the year if fit on Stout oh yeah he is he was open every play he’s he’s an incredible he’s an incredible player and I did lose some

Money and the only reason why I lost was a seven leg parlay and I missed it by two yards from Cooper cup he had 52 I needed over 53 and a half he got a couple drops too didn’t he a I missed out in like hundred and something

Dollars uh so I thought Stafford was going to win me some money there uh but he didn’t so screw you Stafford uh even though I love you but regardless yeah we we’ll save that for another time rams look good uh yeah yeah you know what

That’ll be a that’s a script I think the NFL is writing right now yes iise at Lions it itself man does write itself let’s get into it though Lions Vikings breakdown how do you see this game playing out at least for me we talked a lot about it yesterday and it’s I have

The I have a very similar take as I’m I’m stay consistent here at least defensively for the Vikings that’s where a lot of my concern goes because Brian Flores I think Jared gof against Brian Flores his stats aren’t great um and that’s not just Jared I think most offenses against Brian Flores usually

Don’t look great uh Brian Flores is a hell of a defense of mind he is he likes the Blitz and here’s the thing if someone likes the blitz Sam that leaves opportunity for guys to get yak and make big plays and you have guys like jir Gibbs out the backfield Jameson Williams

Who’s great in space Aman Ral St Brown Sam lorta who’s also great in space so this is an opportunity for these Playmakers to make plays and now denil Hunter is on the other side of that so you have a tall task for Taylor Decker and pan Su because those guys are going

To have to play play at a high level more so Taylor because Pan’s played at a high level all year Taylor Decker is going to have to step up but this offensive line and I believe it was burfield that tweeted this out but this Lion’s offense with their offensive line

Healthy and when they’re not it’s night and day so they’re healthy at least we have that going for him pan was on the injury report got scared he practiced yesterday so that’s good he’s back yeah that was nervous there uh but regardless the defense for the Vikings is is where

I go because I think Nick Mullen in and I don’t even if we deserve to do this because we’ve seen I mean everyone remembers the Matt Flynn game we we remember things like that but Nick Mullins will give you the football like so as long as this Lions defense kind of

Keeps up what they’ve been doing and they’re generating pressure uh and they’re they’re turning the ball over they’re getting the ball back even with the Playmakers they’re going to get a bunch of yards I get that they they got Addison they got Justin Jefferson they got T.J hackinson they’re going to be

Able to get to they’re going to be able to get the ball to him I I get that but if you could pressure him and you could you you can create turnovers the defense I think will kind of figure it out but the strength of the line is their

Offense and you’re facing a a damn good opportunistic defense that can get after the quarterback so for me this goes back to what they did last week and what they’ve been doing since his offensive lines been backs saming they got to run the football run the football uh the

Vikings passing defense isn’t isn’t Elite but they do a good job of pressuring the quarterback and blitzing so they kind of hide their you know their their questionable secondary so to me Sam what I’m keying in on it goes back to that turnover battle got to have another clean game from this offense

Yeah you start with Jared but it’s not just Jared no fumbles they got to take care of the football you can’t give a a guy like Nick Mullen a short field you just can’t with those Playmakers sure yes and all of that you say is true I am

Going to key in on what I think is one of the biggest matchups of the game and that is the Lions offense versus the Vikings defense a Vikings defense which is much improved this season under the leadership of Brian Flores whereas last year they were one of the worst in the

League this year Year by the Numbers the Vikings have been one of the best defenses in the league they are sixth in scoring defense fifth in rushing defense but they haven’t face very many offenses like this Detroit Lions team they fac the Eagles early on in the season they

Gave up a little a lot of points and they lost and the Vikings they also one of the other offenses they played they did play the 49ers at one point in the year they the 49ers team that was missing Trent Williams and Debo Samuel but the 49ers still had Brock pie they

Still had Christian mcaffrey they still had George KD and they still had Brandon iuk and the Minnesota Vikings actually played their best game of the season against these San Francisco 49ers and they they held Brockie to probably his worst game of the season Brock py had a

Touchdown and two picks in that game so in that regard the Minnesota Vikings when they’ve played these these like top tier teams they they’ve had a mixed bag of success but that that game against the uh San Francisco 49ers was absolutely spectacular but this is a Detroit Lions offense which is fully

Healthy their offensive line is intact their backfield is intact where each of them have missed a couple games at some point this year Aman Ross St Brown is is is healthy Jared gof is healthy Sam lorta Jameson Williams is back after missing the first four games of the

Season due to suspension and I think that this Lions offense has the advantage over the Vikings defense I think they’ll be able to run the football I think they will be able to throw the football but the tackles have to block DJ wanham and denil Hunter who

Have combined this season for 23 and a half sa with denil Hunter having 15 and a half of them and I think that pen Su could handle denal Hunter just at least most of the time the guy I worry about a little bit is Taylor Decker who has had

Some injury concerns early on in the year and a bout of poor play fairly recently so that is the key to to keep the pass rushers off of Jared G and also the Minnesota Vikings have their cornerback play has been suspect this year but their safety play led by

Harrison Smith Josh matelis and Cameron bam who’s probably been their best safety they have been pretty good as as as a group so that that could be something that could give the Lions problems and also their linebacking core led by Ivan Pace Jr the rookie standout

And Jordan Hicks who might be back this year back this week is another is is another uh part of the Vikings defense which has been tough this year so they have players at every single level but like I said before this Lions offense fully healthy fully intact Ben Johnson

Cooking up cooking up his Wizardry like he always does I think they have the advantage over the Vikings defense but this Vikings defense is no joke and the fact that the lions are on the road they just have to take them seriously and be we be be wary of this of this Vikings

Defense I think they will but it all starts up front with that Vikings pass rush just the tackles have to block and it it’s yes it starts I think with the offensive line like it always does we talk about it this offense will go as far as this offensive line will take

Them if you could pass protect which they’re going to need to and they’ve been able to the other thing is running the football which I brought that up earlier I know the Vikings are one of the best run defense actually a better run defense technically on according to

The statistics by what four yards they’re the fifth run defense in the NFL Lions are eighth doesn’t matter lions are the second best running a rushing offense so it’s it’s best on best so just because they’re uh good against the Run doesn’t mean the lines are going to

Shy away from it they’re going to run a run the football and you saw against the Bears what were the Bears they were they were like right up there and what happened they they they couldn’t stick with the run because of the score but they were able to run the football we we

Talk about this often when you I don’t give a damn where anybody ranks you look at personnel and then you look at the matchups because that’s what football is Right finding aable matchups the Lions offensive line is a matchup problem every single week so you can look on

Paper Kenji and you can see the Vikings are top five which listen Brian FL has done an incredible job but they haven’t faced an offensive line like this Lions one I’ll keep saying that no they have not and um I think these running backs too and I think the strength for us lies

In the passing game because if Jake Browning can go and put up 327 yards I I believe last week then jarro go should have absolutely no problem with a full compliment of offense uh that’s true yeah their front seven is good but that secondary has been being disguised they

Do Blitz the ball uh pretty well so we’ll see but I expect a big passing game out of Jared G at least three 250 to 300 yards yeah no I I that wouldn’t shock me at all because the Vikings their def their their weakness of their defense has been their their passing

Defense but I think the Detroit Lions especially with how balanced they are with how good their rushing offense is I wouldn’t put too much stock into the Vikings having one of the top Rush defenses you should obviously be weary of it but this Detroit the only team

That has a better rush offense this year by the numbers in the Detroit Lions is the Baltimore Ravens and who’s their quarterback Lamar Jackson do the Detroit Lions get helped out by their quarterback when it comes to their rushing yards I don’t think so so the the reality is is we know talent-wise

That the Lions have the best Back Field in the NFL running behind the best offensive line in the NFL but the numbers play that out as well and even when they go up against some of the better rushing defenses in the NFL the Lions can get stuff going on the ground

I mean what has been their one they’ve really only had one poor rushing performance this whole season and it was against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and David Montgomery went out in that game right they it’s almost like death in taxes death taxes the Lions will run the

Ball a level of effectively either they have to go away from it but they still have a high yards per carry or they do what they did last week against the Chargers against the Raiders and damn near go for over 200 yards or go for over 200 yards and here’s the

Interesting thing even if they can’t run the ball effectively you still have you still have the key in on it because even if you’re if jir and David combined are you know averaging two three yards per carry one of those Jamir could break he

He has the most 20 yard gains in the NFL big gain Gibbs I like it I got Ro for that that’s not a bad n uh I like it I like big game Gibbs All Right rela heavyweights didn’t like that one but regardless uh even if he’s struggling

That’s it’s something the defense posing teams defenses have to consistently key in on uh this read some of these comments gville says keep spitting Jeff appreciate you gville um this one a certified supply chain professional I wanted the Lions to draft Ivan Pace the dude was unblockable uh in the Senior

Bowl or whatever one it was pre-draft during the rush drills versus running backs how was he undrafted that’s unbelievable great undrafted it’s a lot of League a lot of the NFL’s undrafted surprisingly not surprisingly so funky says the Vikings Blitz six more than any other team thus far um G will have

Someone open regularly he just has to hit them quick and that’s kind of been that’s probably one of the key things this game they’re going to send guys that that that some guys are going to be open and they got play they got guys that can make plays

After the catch so I think that’s that’s one of those things it’s going to be a big big game for you’re going have to expect a lot out of this offensive line but also golf like not saying he doesn’t have to have five touchdown passes but no turnovers get the ball out quickly

Well those are the two things that you got you got you got a key in on I think a guy like Aman R st Brown is uniquely conducive to a guy who who can run those short routes and Jared G can get the ball get rid of the ball quickly and if

The Vikings are blitzing a bunch of a bunch of guys I’m sure that uh amanra St Brown will enjoy some one-on-one matchups against Byron Murphy I think it’ll be barbecue chicken if if that is the case but of course as long as Jered G can get rid of the ball quickly and

The and the blitz doesn’t get home too quick but what do the Lions have a great offensive line they can I think they can at least hold those guys steady for a few seconds so Jared go can get rid of the football yep established play action

Not take care of itself you get the ball to Playmakers Baby