Minnesota Vikings bold predictions for Week 18 Sunday Night Football vs. Lions
01/01/2025 11:34 AM
The NFL has saved the best game of the year for last. When the Week 18 schedule was finally announced at the conclusion of the Week 17 Sunday night game between the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Commanders, it became obvious that the winner-take-all matchup between the 14-2 Minnesota Vikings and the 14-2 Detroit Lions would be played in prime time after every other game had concluded.
Ahead of that game, we offer our Week 18 bold Vikings predictions. Head coach Kevin O’Connell has seen a team that many observers believed would finish in third or fourth place in the NFC North and turned them into a powerhouse. The Vikings have a dynamic offensive team, and this is largely due to the offseason decision to sign Sam Darnold to play quarterback for $10 million.
At the time of the signing, it looked like Darnold would be a placeholder for J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota’s first-round selection and the dynamic leader of Michigan’s national championship team in 2023. McCarthy tore his meniscus in the Vikings’ first preseason game and that allowed Darnold to go from placeholder to QB1.
O’Connell has been in Darnold’s ear from the day the quarterback signed with the Vikings. He has performed brilliantly. The quarterback who struggled in his first six years in the NFL with the New York Jets, Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers has been on point throughout the season. He has completed 343 of 504 passes for 4,153 yards with 35 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions. Darnold ranks fifth in the NFL with a 106.4 passer rating.
*Watch NFL games LIVE with fuboTV (free trial)*
(Fubo affiliate links by sport available here)
Darnold will throw for 275 yards and 3 TDs against Lions injured defense
The Vikings quarterback has been strong all season, but he has been at his best in the team’s last seven games. He has an 18-2 TD-interception ratio in that span. He has stifled any tendency to put the ball up for grabs and and has shown he can make big plays when the game is on the line.
Early in the year, Darnold would attack at the start of the game and build big leads. As a result, the Vikings could play a bit more conservatively and hang on in the late stages. However, he has shown in recent weeks that he could make big plays in the fourth quarter that have been able to deliver big-time victories.
Darnold did just that in Week 16 when he threw the game-winning 39-yard touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson against the Seattle Seahawks with 3:51 remaining. On the play, Darnold was under pressure from the pass rush and he stepped up at the correct moment and delivered a sensational pass to the best receiver in the NFL.
That play clearly indicated that Darnold is able to perform brilliantly in the biggest moments. He is confident and proficient, and he also has a slew of great weapons. In addition to Jefferson, Jordan Addison, tight end T.J. Hockenson and running back Aaron Jones will have a significant advantage over a Detroit defense that has been hurt badly by significant injuries.
Jefferson will catch 8 passes for 130-plus yards and 2 TDs
Jefferson has been a spectacular NFL performer since the Vikings drafted him in the first round of the 2020 Draft. He caught 88 passes for 1,400 yards and 7 touchdowns in his rookie year, and he has been able to exceed that total in every season since then with the exception of last year when he suffered a hamstring injury that sidelined him for seven games.
Jefferson has been double-covered on a consistent basis once again this year, but he has caught 100-1,479-10 going into the season finale. No matter how the Lions attempt to slow him down, he will have a huge impact on this game.
When he is bracketed, Addison and Hockenson will have huge opportunities. When Jefferson breaks free from the coverage, he will produce and make at least three big plays in this game, two of which will result in touchdowns.
Blake Cashman will have 10 tackles and 1 sack
The Vikings are not a dominant 14-2 team simply because they can dominate on offense. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores has built a dangerous defensive team that is challenging for opposing offensive coordinators and quarterbacks to read.
As a result, the Vikings defense can both confuse and attack opposing signal callers. The Vikings are not good enough to shut down Lions QB Jared Goff and the rest of the talented offense, but it may be able to come up with two or three key stops at the most important parts of the game.
Linebacker Blake Cashman is the best defensive player on the team. He leads the Vikings with 104 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 8.0 tackles for loss and 8 passes defensed. Cashman was not in the lineup when the two teams met in Week 7 due to a turf toe injury, and the Vikings nearly won that game.
He had 11 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 tackle for loss and 2 quarterback hits in Minnesota’s victory over the Packers last week and he should have a similar performance against the Lions.
Cashman may not be a superstar, but he is a dangerous player who could be a difference maker in this game that will decide the top seed in the NFC, the winner of the NFC North and a bye in the Wild Card week of the playoffs.
The post Minnesota Vikings bold predictions for Week 18 Sunday Night Football vs. Lions appeared first on ClutchPoints.
