As the Minnesota Vikings plan their next massive blitz, the Detroit Lions ride the wave of a big division win. These teams meet in Week 8, and here are bold predictions for the NFC North clash.

It’s a critical game for the Lions. The NFC North could end up with only two playoff teams. That’s because the 49ers, Seahawks, and Rams still seem like firm bets. And that leaves only one other Wild Card spot.

The Lions stand at 4-2 while the Vikings are 6-0. A loss would leave the Lions three games back of first place with nearly half the season in the rearview mirror.

Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs will rush for 100-plus yards

It’s tough to throw against the Vikings. They rank No. 2 in the NFL against the pass, allowing just 155 yards per game. And while their run defense is good, it’s still the better path to consistently moving the football.

Gibbs is fourth in the NFL with 620 yards through six games. Look for the Lions to put a saddle on him against the Vikings. Yes, the Lions are clearly overusing Gibbs already. He’s almost on a record pace, according to NBC Sports.

“If Gibbs keeps to his current pace of 27.7 touches per game for the entire 17-game season, he’ll finish this season with a whopping 470 touches,” Michael David Smith wrote. “That would be the second-most in a season in NFL history, second only to former James Wilder, who had 492 touches with the 1984 Buccaneers.”

Gibbs should get close to that number of touches on the ground alone. He had 29 carries against the Saints and Packers this season. Look for the neighborhood of 25 against the Vikings. He’s averaging 4.6 per carry, so that easily puts him over 100.

And don’t worry about the injury scare late against the Packers, according to mlive.com.

During his postgame media session, Lions coach Dan Campbell confirmed that Gibbs is OK and avoided serious injury.

“Yeah, we got him checked,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said. “He should be good. That’s that whole, ‘Is it really worth going down and try to finish the game, or you just go score?’ Sometimes I question that. I don’t know, maybe we shouldn’t just, but all good. It’s a good win.”

Lions will double the Vikings’ season average in points allowed

For the season, the Vikings are allowing just 12.3 points per game. Over the last three games, they are giving up just 33 points. But the Lions will hit them for 24-plus points.

Not only will Gibbs cut loose, but his runs will set up play-action daggers for Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. This is no timid prediction. The Vikings defense is the real deal. The players will even tell you that, according to The Athletic.

“It’s a generational group,” cornerback Isaiah Rodgers said. “We’ve got guys who go out and trust the scheme. They trust (Flores and his staff). The stats speak for themselves.”

Defensive tackle Levi Drake Rodriguez said it is togetherness that brings the good outcomes.

“Hopefully, that showed the joy we have on the field with each other,” Rodriguez said. “We want to work hard for each other. We want to be right.”

But the Lions are a different beast. They are king of the offensive jungle for a reason. They rank No. 2 in the NFL with 397.3 yards per game.

The NFL used to be a league where great defense would pretty much always shut down a great offense. But the rules have changed. And the Lions will cut loose for a point total the Vikings haven’t allowed since 22 in the season opener against the Packers.

Vikings QB Kyler Murray will have his best game of the season

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For all the Lions are on offense, they ain’t that on defense. They rank dead last in the league with 391 yards allowed per game.

Murray hasn’t thrown for 250 yards in a game yet this season. In fact, he hasn’t done it since 2024. And he only has three touchdown passes in basically four games played. He missed almost all of the season opener after a first-quarter injury.

But the Lions are relatively decent against the run. They are an open gate against the pass. And Murray will take advantage with some chunk plays down the field.

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell is standing behind Murray, according to The Athletic.

“I think our guys are very confident that we’re not far off,” O’Connell said. “The far-off changes a little bit as you go, but I’m very, very confident we’ll get it going.”

One reason for optimism is that Murray has gotten better at play action. The Vikings used play action on nearly half of Murray’s dropbacks in Week 7. And Murray hit on eight of 11 passes.

There's still hope for Murray. Some people have been writing him off and saying the Vikings should move on, but this is a chance for him to silence critics.