Why Brooke chose the Vikings: Game 272 is for all NFC marbles. The winner claims the division And the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, while the loser heads to a wild-card meeting next week. The Lions defeated the Vikings in their first meeting in Week 7 and continue to flex their muscles despite countless injuries to key players. Both Jared Goff and Sam Darnold are playing the best football of their careers, thanks to the excellent playcalling from Ben Johnson and Kevin O’Connell, respectively, and the outstanding playmakers around them. These two offenses move the ball at will and it’s nice to watch. Therefore, the final result depends on which defense makes the most plays on Sunday night. Goff was great against men all season long, throwing for 19 TDs zero Interceptions, but faces a unit led by Brian Flores that plays a lot in the zone, which Goff struggled against at times (17 pass TDs, 10 INTs). Despite zone coverage on 74.1 percent of opposing dropbacks, Minnesota’s defense is no slouch even when playing man, allowing a passer rating of 69 percent (the lowest in the NFL) and recording the second-most INTs at eight, according to Next Gen Stats. On the other hand, Detroit’s defense is allowing the most yards per play (7.4) since Week 14 and is struggling to get to the quarterback with any regularity (yes, Aidan Hutchinson still leads the team in sacks despite being off the season plays). last 11 games). The Lions have relied on the blitz attack, an area where Darnold thrives, and need to find a way to slow down Minnesota’s deep passing attack. The Vikings duo of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison will look to take advantage of a defense that has allowed 389 yards on deep passes (over 20 air yards) since Week 14, according to Next Gen Stats.

Detroit desperately needs a week off with all the injuries, and Minnesota is making some serious headway in the postseason. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if Detroit won the season finale, but based on injuries and the current performance of each defense, I’m going with Minnesota.