The Lions have had their fair share of adversity this season with the injuries never stopping and so many fourth quarter collapses. A few other teams may have a record as bad as Detroit's, but the way the Lions constantly lose just sickens me. That feeling may go away this weekend if Detroit could beat the Vikings in a NFC North rivalry. The Vikings themselves have a few key injuries and also don't right now publicly have a definite starting quarterback.
From the injury front, Chester Taylor, the Vikings running back, is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game in Detroit. Taylor is the fifth leading rusher in the NFL this season and would be an extremely big loss for the Vikings. If Taylor doesn't in fact play, then the Lions could focus more on defending the passing game that hasn't really been there recently for Minnesota. That leads us into the next portion of problems brewing within the Vikes.
Regular starting quarterback Brad Johnson was pulled last week against the Bears after playing badly, and that meant that Brooks Bollinger got a chance to really prove himself to be worthy of playing more often. Unfortunately, Bollinger was injured after leading the Vikings to their lone touchdown, and won't play this weekend.
Even with the injury to a backup QB, the controversy is still heating up. Many are calling for Brad Johnson to be benched so that Tarvaris Jackson gets a chance to show off his stuff. Coach Brad Childress has stated that he made a decision on who to start. He didn't announce it to the public in order to keep the Lions guessing, so we'll find out soon before kickoff on Sunday.
This will probably be the Lions' best chance to get another win as going to Lambeau Field is never easy, even if the Packers aren't that good. Plus, with the Bears coming to town and a trip to Dallas looming, a third victory probably needs to come now. With a great running back out and a struggling or brand new QB likely to show up, Detroit has the advantage.