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| ATL at CAR | BAL at CLE | BUF at TEN | CHI at SF | CIN at PIT | DAL at GB | DEN at WAS | DET at MIN |
| JAX at NYJ | KC at OAK | NE at IND | NO at STL | PHI at SD | SEA at ARI | TB at MIA | |
Week 10 Game Recap: Detroit Lions 10, Minnesota Vikings 27
Detroit Lions
| QB Matthew Stafford, Pass: 29 - 51 - 224 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - 28 - 0 |
Stafford played a good game considering he was running for his life for the entire game. He was pounded by constant blitzes and when he wasn't sacked, he was taking shots after he had released the passes. By the end of the game he looked shell shocked and exhausted. Several of his final passes were incomplete because they were too low and hit the turf several feet in front of the intended receiver. It's unfortunate because aside from that, and the dropped passes from his receiving corps, Stafford had a pretty good game. He found a way to get the ball to an obviously sub-par Calvin Johnson and showed renewed confidence in Dennis Northcutt in his return from the bench due to frequent dropped passes. Stafford checked down to his TE and RB much less in this game, and really tried to move the ball against a tough defense. The biggest concern for the Lions should be that if Stafford has to throw the ball 50 times a game for the rest of the season, he's going to be completely out of gas by week 17.
| RB Kevin Smith, Rush: 12 - 55 - 0, Rec: 3 - 10 - 0 (5 targets) |
Kevin Smith performed well given his limited opportunities. He had several 7+ yard gains, mostly off tackle and contributed with three receptions out of the backfield as well. The biggest drawback for Smith was that he split carries with Maurice Morris and had limited opportunities because the Lions were passing so much in the second half. Smith will be a part of RBBC the rest of the season, and will probably have no more than 12-15 carries for the rest of the season.
| RB Maurice Morris, Rush: 6 - 10 - 0, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (5 targets) |
Morris was not nearly as effective as Kevin Smith when he was in the backfield. He was frequently stopped behind the line of scrimmage and didn't contribute much more to the passing game either. The Lions will continue to use him to give Smith a breather from time to time, but if Stafford is going to pass for 50 attempts a game, Morris will have minimal fantasy impact.
| WR Calvin Johnson, Rec: 8 - 84 - 0 (13 targets) |
Calvin Johnson is clearly not 100% yet. He looks like he's playing at half speed, and does not have the aggressive intensity that earned him the 'Megatron' knickname. He dropped several very catchable passes, and was easily tackled after making his other receptions. On the final series of the second quarter, he had three receptions that resulted in almost 50 of his 84 total yards receiving, giving him less than 7 yards per reception for the majority of his contributions. He looked slower and dejected by the second half and could not seem to get open, even when the Vikings were blitzing on every down. Between his lack of effectiveness and the constant pounding that Stafford was taking, he was not a big factor in this game.
| WR Dennis Northcutt, Rec: 6 - 48 - 0 (8 targets) |
Northcutt returned to the Lion's receiving corps this week after being benched for his frequent drops two weeks ago. He responded well and came up with key receptions for first downs on three of his six receptions. He's still firmly entrenched as the 'possession' receiver for the Lions, but his renewed ability to catch the ball, combined with his punt and kick returns makes him a viable fantasy option in certain leagues.
| WR Bryant Johnson, Rec: 2 - 17 - 0 (6 targets) |
Johnson is the #2 WR for the Lions, but has really not contributed more than one or two receptions a game. One of his two receptions came during garbage time late in the fourth quarter. He also dropped a potential TD late in the second quarter and the Lions had to settle for a FG before half time. Bryant Johnson has limited fantasy value, and does not contribute well enough to be considered a legitimate starting option.
| TE Brandon Pettigrew, Rec: 2 - 23 - 0 (6 targets) |
Pettigrew worked the middle of the field again, coming up with a few key receptions, but also dropping several very catchable passes. He was well covered in the Red Zone, leading to the Will Heller TD reception early in the third quarter. Pettigrew contributed just two receptions for 23 yards in this game.
Minnesota Vikings
| QB Brett Favre, Pass: 20 - 29 - 344 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0 |
Favre celebrated his 300th consecutive start as an NFL QB by carving up the hapless Lions for the first 50 minutes of the game, giving way to Tavaris Jackson when the game was well in hand. Favre took advantage of a weak Lion secondary, burning them for long gains on big plays to Sidney Rice. He was effective when he stayed in the pocket, but became devastating when he rolled out. In fact, for the season, Favre has a perfect 158 passer rating when moving out of the pocket this season. Early in the fourth quarter, with the Vikings on the eight yard line, Favre rolled out and found FB Jeff Dugan wide open in the end zone for a TD that put the Lions away for good. Favre is playing some of the best football in his career, and he has the Vikings hitting on all cylinders. Look for Favre to keep putting up solid numbers now the rest of the season, and he should be in your starting lineup each week.
| RB Adrian Peterson, Rush: 18 - 133 - 2, Rec: 2 - 10 - 0 (3 targets) |
Peterson tore up the Lions for most of the game. Seven of his 18 carries went for more than six yard, including gains of 22, 27 and 43 yards. He frequently cut back across the middle when the Lions were looking to stop the run, broke containment and blew up in the opposite direction. On his first fumble, Peterson fumbled a pitch to Percy Harvin on a reverse and the Lions recovered the ball. On the second fumble, he was caught from behind on a big break-away and the ball was punched out, rolled into the end zone and the Lions recovered it for a touchback. Without that, Peterson was well on his way to his third TD. Peterson gave way to Chester Taylor in the fourth quarter when the game was well in hand, and the Vikings were just trying to run out the clock. He finished with almost 150 yards from scrimmage and 2 TDS.
| RB Chester Taylor, Rush: 7 - 16 - 0, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (1 targets) |
Taylor was a non factor for the first half, with only one carry for three yards early in the first quarter. As the Vikings began to pull away, with the game well in hand. Taylor saw more opportunities. He was not nearly as effective against the Lions run defense as Peterson was, breaking only one run for more than three yards. He was used on passing downs, but Favre looked down field more than to check down to the RB and Taylor finished the game with just one reception.
| WR Sidney Rice, Rec: 7 - 201 - 0 (9 targets) |
Sidney Rice emerged as a legitimate fantasy stud this week, burning the Lions on multiple deep passing plays for huge gains. Rice was all over the field, tearing up the sidelines, and breaking across the middle, creating space and making big plays. He became only the 4th receiver in Viking history to have more than 200 yards receiving in a game, and would have broken the single game record if he didn't drop the pass that Tavaris Jackson threw to him late in the fourth quarter. Rice is the clear #1 option for Viking receivers, and he has emerged as Brett Favre's favorite target when he want to go down the field.
| WR Percy Harvin, Rush: 1 - 7 - 0, Rec: 3 - 53 - 0 (4 targets) |
Harvin has embraced his role as the #3 WR for the Vikings with kick and punt return duties. Minnesota wants to keep him fresh so he remains a dangerous threat on kick and punt returns. Therefore, they are only using him on passing downs and on certain plays where his speed and elusiveness are a threat to go all the way. He opened the game with an end around, and the Vikings attempted a reverse a little later in the first half. In the fourth quarter, Harvin caught a short come-back route, and broke across the middle. He took a hard shot from the safety but stayed on his feet and kept fighting for extra yards. He broke into the open field and turned a short 8 yard pass into a 40 yard back-breaker play. This is the spark that Harvin brings to the Vikings, and the reason he's such a big part of their offense, despite his limited opportunities.
| WR Bernard Berrian, Rec: 3 - 22 - 0 (8 targets) |
Berrian had a quite game for the Vikings this week. He is clearly limited by his injured hamstring, and his contributions are not nearly as solid as they were earlier in the season. Berrian has become a short and medium yardage receiver for the Vikings, working the sidelines with short corner routes and quick swing and slant routes where Favre gets the ball to him quickly, allowing him to work one on one against defenders to make plays. Unfortunately due to his injury, Berrian has not been getting much beyond his initial catch. He is still contributing to the Viking offense, and should continue to see targets for the rest of the season. Hopefully he recovers from his hamstring injury by the time the playoffs roll around for the Vikings. They are going to need him if they want to make a Super Bowl run.
| TE Visanthe Shiancoe, Rec: 3 - 43 - 0 (4 targets) |
Shiancoe had a quiet game for the Vikings, and did not contribute his typical red zone production that he has in earlier games this season. He contributed right out of the gate with a 13 yard reception on the first series of the game. He also came up big on a 21 yard reception late in the fourth. When Brett Favre rolled out of the pocket, Shiancoe broke his patter deep into a gap between the corner and the Safety, catching a perfect pass from Favre and turning it into a big gain that eventually led to a FG. It followed the big play from Percy Harvin and put the Lions away for good.