Week 9 Roundtable: Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions (It’s GO Time in the Motor City)

Hello everyone, and welcome to the Week 9 Minnesota Vikings roundtable here at Daily Norseman. The Vikes are coming off a blowout loss on Thursday Night Football to the Chargers. Now they’re not only on the road again, but against one of the nastiest teams in the entire NFL.

Can the Vikings beat the Lions or will they fall another game under .500 and further from the playoff picture?

Let’s talk to it:

Question 1: On a scale of 1-100, how “must-win” do you feel this game is?

Brandon Warne: I would say it’s a solid 65-70. It’s less about the “when” and more about the “who” for me. I think at some point you need a signature win to show you’re heading in the right direction, and there’s no better way than to do it against the best team in the division (maybe conference) in their own building to end a long, ugly streak of football for you.

Christopher Gates: If this team wants to be competitive this season, on a scale of 1-100 this one is about a 150. The Lions and the Packers are both well ahead of the Vikings at this point, and the Vikings need this one to not only keep pace in the division standings, but to get themselves right mentally as well. They took a beating last Thursday in Los Angeles and they’re probably wondering what happened. This Detroit team has had their number over the past couple of seasons, and a loss in this one is just going to reinforce that and make things more difficult for the Vikings going forward. So, yeah, to say that they need this one is an understatement.

Craig Williams: Must win for the playoffs this year, 7 out of 10.

Warren Ludford: I’ll go with 60. The Vikings can afford three more losses this season and likely still make the playoffs, so every game is to some degree a must-win. But facing the Lions on the road is probably the toughest game left on the Vikings’ schedule, so it wouldn’t be terrible if they lost, which is why I don’t have this one as more of a must-win game. But if they lose to the Lions, each remaining game afterward will be at least an 80.

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Question 2: If you could add one Lions player to the Vikings, who would you choose?

BW: I think you could make a strong case for at least a half-dozen or more players. I’m going with Jahmyr Gibbs just because I’m a sucker for offensive firepower. Gibbs’ electricity with Jordan Mason between the tackles and some Aaron Jones Sr. besides would be an embarrassment of riches.

CG: I think you’d almost have to go with Jahmyr Gibbs. Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason are solid running backs, but Gibbs is one of those players that can do pretty much everything. He runs well, he catches the ball well out of the backfield, he’s a solid blocker when asked,...