The Minnesota Vikings (6-0) and Detroit Lions (4-2) will face off on Sunday at Ford Field.

Minnesota won 16-10 last week at home against the Indianapolis Colts. Detroit won 20-17 at home against the Green Bay Packers. If Detroit wants to compete for the NFC North, they need to win this game. A loss would not make it impossible, but definitely would make it much tougher.

The Vikings v. Lions in Week 8

Minnesota leads the all-time series 82-45-2, including winning the past two meetings.

These two teams faced each other in the Motor City last season in Week 9.

J.J. McCarthy went 14/25 for 143 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Aaron Jones rushed for 78 yards on nine carries. Justin Jefferson caught six passes for 47 yards and a touchdown. Former Lion T.J. Hockenson added a touchdown reception.

“It was awesome,” McCarthy said, choking up. “When you’re hurt, being on IR last year, and being out for five weeks, it absolutely kills me not being out there with those guys because I love every single one of them.

On defense, Blake Cashman recorded a game-high 14 tackles. Eric Wilson recorded two sacks.

For Detroit, Jared Goff went 25/37 for 284 yards and two touchdowns. David Montgomery rushed for 40 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Amon-Ra St. Brown caught nine passes for 97 yards. Sam LaPorta caught six passes for 97 yards and a touchdown.

On defense, Jack Campbell recorded a team-high nine tackles. He also recorded a sack.

Minnesota won 27-24 to improve to 4-4 on the season. They finished the season at 9-8 and missed the playoffs for the fourth time in six years. Detroit finished at 9-8 also, but were last in the division due to losing the head-to-head tiebreaker.

To say this is a big game is an understatement. The NFC North is very wide open and Minnesota still has three more divisional games left after this week. This is also a very critical period in their schedule. After this week they host the Buffalo Bills, travel to Green Bay, and then travel to Mexico City to face the San Francisco 49ers.

That is a very tough four-game stretch. If they can even go 2-2, it would keep them in good shape. Anything better than that would be a nice bonus. Going 1-3 would not put them in a tough position, but definitely make their chances of winning the division a little tougher.

This will be a great test for Minnesota’s defense. Detroit’s offense is one of the best in the league. Their defense, though, is among the worst. Minnesota’s offense is one the worst in the league. Something has to give.

This game could go either way, but Minnesota is the better team currently and they have a good chance to win. Winning this game would put them at 7-0, which would not only keep in the first place in the division, but also in the NFC. The next three games could each be even tougher than this one. Very important game this Sunday.

Prediction: Vikings win 24-20