Lions at Vikings: Kitna's 10-Win Pledge Is On The Line

To get you ready for week 13, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is your Lions-Vikings preview.

2007 Records:

Detroit Lions: 6-5 (2nd in NFC North)
Minnesota Vikings: 5-6 (T-3rd in NFC North)

Last Week:
Vikings 41, Giants 17
Packers 37, Lions 26

Why We Care: A 6-2 start made Jon Kitna and his 10-win prediction look brilliant, but the Lions have now lost three straight and are playing for their playoff lives. Because of how the NFL's tiebreakers work, only one team out of the NFC North will get to battle for a wild card unless the Giants completely fall apart. Detroit could all but wrap up that shot with a win--it would give them effectively a three-game lead with four games to play. But if the Vikings win, Minnesota would all of a sudden be in the thick of the playoff race.

When the Vikings have the ball: Adrian Peterson's back, which means the NFL's best rushing attack just got better. Minnesota's offensive line has figured out the zone blocking scheme and is now simply pummeling people. With Chester Taylor filling in, the Vikings still ground out first downs. Bringing Peterson back should force the Lions to focus almost entirely on shutting down the running game. Quarterback Tarvaris Jackson doesn't get asked to do more than just avoid making mistakes, but he has done a much better job of being efficient in recent weeks.When the Lions have the ball: Eli Manning completely crumbled against the Vikings pressure. After giving up way too many yards in the passing game early in the season, Minnesota junked the bend-but-don't-break approach and now brings pressure from everywhere. If the Lions can protect Jon Kitna, there will be holes to exploit, but that's a big if. The Lions passing game will likely have to carry the load because Minnesota forces teams to abandon their running game.

The Edge: Getting Peterson back should give the Vikings a big emotional lift to add to the roll they are already on while the Lions are struggling. The Vikes combination of an outstanding running game and a great rushing defense should be enough to bring them a step closer to a potential wild card playoff berth, something that seemed impossible a couple of weeks ago. However, there is some controvery in the Vikes decision to bring Adrian Peterson back so soon. If he re-injures his knee expect Brad Childress to face a lot of questions about risking the franchise player.