Minnesota at Detroit

If you listen to the media "experts" and the guy at the watercooler this week, the Lions have absolutely no shot here. Well, it kind of makes sense, right? They are in turmoil - having fired their coach and they have players infighting. The Lions got absolutely hammered on national TV on Thanksgiving. They looked worse than awful. Minnesota on the other hand has pulled off this season's biggest turnaround, going from 2-5 to win 4 straight. They've got a new QB who is winning. Shouldn't Minnesota be favored by more here? Smells like a trap. And I think it is. First off, in regards to the Lions, what team doesn't have infighting? It happens all the time. In this case, a defensive player called out a quarterback who hasn't won - ever. That QB doesn't have much support within the team and has been benched. So, who cares about the exchange of words? Meaningless. The coach got fired but that's not necessarily a bad thing for this week. They were losing - bad. Since Mariucci took over, the Lions had the league's worst record. I suspect many players feel some relief and hope this week. Dick Jauron takes over, at least for a while, and he has 4 years NFL head coaching experience. He made a decisive move right away, benching Joey Harrison for Jeff Garcia. Right move. Garcia should definetly be the starter. Last week's loss to Atlanta on Turkey Day has made everyone quickly forget how Detroit has performed at home this year. Prior to that game, they were 4-1 at home, holding opponents to under 90 yards rushing per game! I expect them to return to that form and give Minnesota fits. I expect them to rally behind their new coach, with the world saying they have no chance. Minnesota has turned things around nicely but I don't think they are really that good. Three of their four recent wins came against mediocre teams (Cleveland, Green Bay and this Detroit team on the road). They easily could have lost two of the four, winning each by a late field goal. Despite their nice little "run", the Vikings still rank among the seven worst offenses and they have the 4th worst defense in the entire league! I know it sounds crazy on the surface to a lot of folks but I like Detroit quite a bit to win here. Three stars on the Lions.