Looking ahead to Lions' next opponent: Minnesota Vikings

Next up for the Detroit Lions is a home game against the Minnesota Vikings. Here's an early look at the Vikings:

Minnesota Vikings (6-7)

Schedule so far

Week 1 - at Rams - won, 34-6
Week 2 - vs. Patriots - lost, 30-7
Week 3 - at Saints - lost, 20-9
Week 4 - vs. Falcons - won, 41-28
Week 5 - at Packers - lost, 42-10
Week 6 - vs. Lions - lost, 17-3
Week 7 - at Bills - lost, 17-16
Week 8 - at Buccaneers - won, 19-13 (OT)
Week 9 - vs. Redskins - won, 29-26
Week 11 - at Bears - lost, 21-13
Week 12 - vs. Packers - lost, 24-21
Week 13 - vs. Panthers - won, 31-13
Week 14 - vs. Jets - won, 30-24 (OT)

Reason for optimism

The last two weeks, the Lions have taken care of business against teams they should beat, and they've already taken care of business against the Vikings once this season. Back in Week 6, the Lions went on the road and beat the Vikings by a score of 17-3. The offense didn't have a great game, but the defense was outstanding, recording eight sacks and three interceptions on the day.

Reason for pessimism

The Vikings have been a better team as of late. In fact, they have won their last two games, and if you go back to October, the Vikings have won four of their last six. Granted, the teams the Vikings have beaten during this stretch are among the worst in the NFL, but the point is that Minnesota has been finding ways to win as of late. Winning on the road against the Lions is obviously a much tougher task than beating the Panthers or Jets at home, but this team shouldn't be overlooked by any means.

Storyline to watch

This is the third game in a stretch of four extremely winnable games for the Lions. So far, they're 2-for-2. In order to move another step closer to the playoffs, the Lions need to make that 3-for-3 with a win over the Vikings on Sunday.

Additional info

For more on the Vikings, check out Daily Norseman.