Bold prediction of the week: Lions take the lead down the stretch against Vikings

The Vikings have struggled to separate all year.

The Detroit Lions are still looking for their first win with just over a month left in the season, and the team will be looking for that win in front of a home crowd Sunday. The Minnesota Vikings come to town in what may just be the most winnable game remaining on Detroit’s schedule.

Bold prediction of the week: Lions take the lead in the fourth quarter against Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings are a good team on paper, but they don’t exactly pass the eye test. At 5-6 they’re well in the playoff hunt, but their season has been volatile. Out of 11 games, only one of them has been decided by more than one possession, a 13-point win against Seattle in Week 3.

The Lions witnessed this reluctance to separate from opponents in Week 5 when the Vikings took the matchup down to the wire. Minnesota squandered several opportunities to run up the score against the Lions in the second half, and Jared Goff led the Lions to a go-ahead score with under a minute to go. Vikings kicker Greg Joseph would take the Vikings ahead for a final score of 19-17, but the Lions were a play away from stealing a win.

The Vikings don’t look any different heading into Week 13, especially now that star running back Dalvin Cook will be out with a shoulder injury. While Cook missed the Week 5 game against the Lions as well, Cook is arguably the Vikings’ best playmaker who has put away games quite well for years. Alexander Mattison, who still ran all over the Lions in the last matchup, just doesn’t do it the same.

If this game shapes up to be like any other game this season for the Vikings, the Lions could be flirting with their first win Sunday.