All season long, the Detroit Lions have been hyped as arguably the best team in the NFL. The standings don’t agree, with the Kansas City Chiefs in first place overall. However, the Lions are atop the NFC, and they have been all season long.
Yet, another team that’s gone under the radar in comparison to the Lions is the Minnesota Vikings, who actually have the same exact record as their NFC North Divisional foes. Amazingly, the Vikings can still emerge with the top seed and a first-round playoff bye in the NFC with a win against the Lions on Sunday.
However, some on the Lions are feeling extremely confident in their ability to beat the Vikings for the second time this season after previously prevailing in their 31-29 win in their Week 7 battle.
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Detroit Lions’ Terrion Arnold smack talks Minnesota Vikings
While some NFL executives don’t believe the Detroit Lions will emerge victorious as they host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night, not everyone agrees. Namely, Lions first-round rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold doesn’t think the Vikings will be able to hang, despite their star receiver duo.
“We’re a bad matchup for Minnesota. We got cover guys. They got good receivers, but we got cover guys.”
Detroit Lions rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold
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Arnold, the 24th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, recorded two tackles the last time these two teams matched up. Justin Jefferson, who Arnold or Amik Robertson is expected to shadow on Sunday, caught 7-of-8 targets for 81 yards and a touchdown. Jordan Addison caught 3-of-4 targets for 66 yards. Additionally, Jalen Nailor caught 4-of-5 targets for 76 receiving yards as Sam Darnold completed 22-of-27 passes for 259 yards, plus a touchdown and an interception.
According to Pro Football Focus, Arnold was targeted three times in coverage, and he allowed all three passes to be caught for 35 yards, which included 17 YAC. He ranks 188th among 219 cornerbacks this season, with an overall grade of 49.6. After running his mouth, Arnold better be ready to back it up on Sunday, but this will surely end up as bulletin board material inside the Vikings’ locker room as if they needed any extra motivation with a first-round playoff bye on the line.
Related: NFL exec casts doubt on Detroit Lions beating Minnesota Vikings in Week 18