Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The unbeaten Minnesota Vikings face a test of their Super Bowl credentials against the Detroit Lions on Sunday as the NFL season approaches its halfway point with the battle for playoff places beginning to take shape. Minnesota heads into week eight as the last remaining undefeated team in the NFL after the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers both suffered their first losses last weekend.
But the Vikings’ perfect 6-0 record will be on the line in a potentially pivotal NFC North divisional clash in Detroit, one of several heavyweight encounters on a packed Sunday schedule. The showdown in Detroit pits one of the most potent offenses in the league against the meanest defense. The Lions have averaged just over 30 points a game on their way to a 4-2 record, while the Vikings have given up just seven touchdowns in six games while conceding a miserly 12.3 points per game.
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Detroit head coach Dan Campbell had nothing but praise for the Vikings defense as he prepares for their matchup. “Minnesota are playing outstanding football,” Campbell said. “Everything is fueled by the defense. That’s the starting point. This defense is as good as it gets… they just create havoc and chaos. And they force you to make massive errors. It’s just wave after wave, and offenses are cracking. So poise is going to be big for us. Poise and patience.”
The Vikings’ defensive guru, Brian Flores, meanwhile, has been busy devising a plan to thwart a Lions offense led by quarterback Jared Goff. “Statistically, he’s been one of the best quarterbacks, not even statistically, period,” Flores said of Goff. “He’s been one of the best quarterbacks in the National Football League over, you know, a good amount of time. He’s grown quite a bit. That’s what you expect, as guys get more time under their belt. I think he’s one of the best in the league and they’ve got a great skill group, and he knows how to distribute the ball to all of them.”
In other games on Sunday, Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills host the Baltimore Ravens in a showdown with major implications for the AFC playoff race, while Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs attempt to bounce back from their first defeat of the campaign in a divisional duel with the Denver Broncos. The Bills are sitting pretty at the top of the AFC East with a 5-1 record, ahead of the second-placed New England Patriots (4-3). The Ravens, by contrast, are bottom of the AFC North with a 4-3 record and can ill-afford to lose further ground on divisional leaders Cleveland and Pittsburgh, who are both at 5-2.
Cleveland and Pittsburgh meanwhile will collide in a heavyweight showdown with top spot of the division at stake. The Chiefs, meanwhile, look to bounce back against a Broncos team they trounced 31-10 on the opening weekend of the season. Kansas City head coach Andy Reid said he is expecting to face an improved Denver team since that opening week victory. “We turn the tape on and we look at what’s real, and you can see how they’ve improved every week,” Reid said. “When you play a good team in their home, you better be prepared and ready to go.”
Other week eight fixtures include the resurgent Chicago Bears taking on reigning Super Bowl champions Seattle on Monday. The Bears have improved to 5-2 to remain hard on Minnesota’s heels in the AFC North, but face a difficult road trip in the Pacific Northwest against a Seattle team buoyed by their defeat of Kansas City last weekend. Elsewhere, a “battle for Los Angeles” will unfold at the SoFi Stadium, with the inconsistent Los Angeles Rams facing the winless Los Angeles Chargers. The Rams started the season tipped as potential Super Bowl champions but have stumbled to a 3-4 record in the NFC West.
While the Chargers are 0-6, Rams coach Sean McVay is adamant that Sunday’s opponents are better than their record suggests. “I really couldn’t care less what the record says,” McVay said of the Chargers. “I see a team that’s really good. They’ve had a chance to win a lot of these games. This league is so open in terms of week in and week out.”
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