The Minnesota Vikings are the last remaining undefeated team in the NFL this season, as Kevin O'Connell has his team off to a 6-0 start. The Vikings have arguably the best defense in the league this year led by Brian Flores, and the offense has done just enough to get by.
In Week 7, the Vikings' offense looked underwhelming once again in a 16-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts that saw Minnesota find the end zone just one time. The defense carried them to another win, but questions remain about the offense in Kyler Murray's first season as the starting quarterback.
Skeptics, beyond the struggles to score points, will point to a relatively easy schedule as a reason to knock the Vikings down a peg or two. That all ends this week. The Vikings have a massive divisional clash against the Detroit Lions coming up on Sunday, right before games against the Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers. Those are four playoff-caliber teams, so we will find out plenty about the Vikings' viability as a Super Bowl contender very soon.
The defense will continue to be very good because of what Flores does, even if its numbers dip a little bit against that assortment of elite quarterbacks and offenses in the next month. However, the offense has a make-or-break test coming up against a Lions defense that simply hasn't been very good this season.
This is a perfect spot for a get-right game for Kyler Murray and company. Here's how the Vikings can attack the Lions defense, and where to be concerned if things don't go well on Sunday.
The stars are aligning for the Vikings running game
The Vikings running game, to put it simply, has been bad so far this season. Minnesota currently ranks tied for 21st in yards per carry (4.0), 27th in EPA per rush (-0.13), and 29th in rushing success rate (34.8%) per Next Gen Stats. Of course, part of that comes down to the fact that Jordan Mason has been injured and has missed four games, but now he is back in the lineup.
Aaron Jones Sr. got banged up during the Week 7 game against the Colts, but Mason is the more every-down back who can handle more carries between the tackles. As a result, the hope is that he provides a more consistent presence on the ground.
On the other side, the Lions have struggled a little bit to stop the run this season. Detroit ranks 25th in the NFL in EPA per rush allowed (-0.01). While Mason isn't known for creating a ton of yards on his own, the Lions are allowing the fourth-most yards before contact per rush (1.77) in the league, so Minnesota should be able to create some easy yards on the ground on early downs. If it can't, O'Connell and company have bigger problems.
The passing game gets a lot of the headlines, both good and bad, in Minnesota. That makes sense considering all the big names on the team are involved with the passing game. But O'Connell is still running the Shanahan-McVay offense at its core, and the running game is essential to making the offense go. Week 8 is a perfect time for the Vikings to figure that part of things out.
Can Kyler Murray get after a vulnerable Lions secondary?
While the run defense in Detroit hasn't been great this season, it has still been by far the best part of this Detroit defense. The Lions' secondary has been a massive weakness this year, and most offenses have been able to throw the ball all over the yard against them.
Detroit ranks 28th in EPA per pass allowed (+0.17) this season, and it is giving up the most passing yards per game among any team in the NFL. Injuries in the secondary play a part in that, but the Lions have a major weakness at cornerback even when healthy that can be exploited by a talented receiving corps like Minnesota's.
Unfortunately for the Vikings, that crop of weapons hasn't resulted in an elite passing game so far this year. The Vikings currently rank 23rd in EPA per pass this season (-0.13) and tied for 24th in yards per passing play (5.4). Injuries to Kyler Murray, Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison at different points in the year contribute to those struggles, but the numbers should still be better than that with this amount of talent.
Article Continues BelowIf there's going to be a week where the Vikings get back on track, it's this one. The Lions, while doing okay against tight ends and running backs this season, have been getting torched by wide receivers from all alignments. Detroit is allowing the most EPA per play against slot targets (+0.70) in the NFL this season by a massive margin, and it ranks just 30th against targets to outside receivers (+0.39).
Jefferson has taken more than 83% of his snaps from out wide this season, per PFF, which would match him up with D.J. Reed on a frequent basis in this one. When opponents have targeted Reed in 2026, they have had plenty of success. He has allowed the second-highest passer rating when targeted among defensive backs with at least 200 coverage snaps this season, per Next Gen Stats. His total target EPA of 27.0 is the second-worst mark in the NFL, and Jefferson is the type of receiver that can give him fits.
Addison also plays primarily on the outside, but he has taken 56 reps from the slot this season. He could be the guy O'Connell decides to go to in order to exploit the Lions' weakness against slot players.
One thing that could help the Lions in this game is the return of Brian Branch. Branch made his season debut in Week 7 against the Packers after tearing his Achilles last season, finishing with four tackles, one pass breakup and an interception.
Coincidence or not, the Lions allowed their fewest total yards in a game in Week 7 with Branch back in the lineup, and Sunday was their second-lowest EPA per play allowed of the season. That came against a dangerous Packers offense that can create a ton of explosive plays down the field, so maybe the Lions can continue to turn things around against the Vikings.
Branch plays a lot of deep safety, which should help the Lions prevent some of those big plays down the field. But he also lines up in the nickel a lot, which will help them improve against those slot targets that have troubled them so much this season. How much he plays into this game, and how the Vikings skew their passing attack away from him, will help dictate how the game goes on Sunday afternoon.