An NFC North divisional matchup will take place in an exciting Week 15 as the Minnesota Vikings (6-7) travel to Ford Field to face off against the Detroit Lions (9-4).
The key matchup to monitor in this contest is the one between all-world wide receiver Calvin Johnson and Vikings’ cornerback Xavier Rhodes. After an up-and-down start to the season, Rhodes has been playing as well as any defender in the NFL over the last month. The second-year corner has a +11.0 Coverage grade in his last four games, second only to Darrelle Revis in that span. He has given up just seven catches, 54 yards and no touchdowns over those games, and opposing quarterback’s passer rating when targeting him has been just 22.2. Rhodes will face perhaps his toughest task to date, and it will be an intriguing matchup.
Meanwhile, Calvin Johnson ranks fifth among wide receivers with a +13.0 overall grade this year despite missing time with an injury. He also has a strong 2.49 Yards per Route Run on 97 targets, while scoring three touchdowns in his last two games. It will be interesting to see if Johnson can get the better of Rhodes if the two line up across from each other on a regular basis.
Here are three more notable numbers for each side:
Minnesota Vikings
Robert Blanton – ranks second among safeties with an 11.4 Run Stop Percentage on plays within 8 yards of the line of scrimmage.
John Sullivan – has the eighth best Run Blocking grade among centers this season (+6.3).
Everson Griffen – is the sixth best 4-3 defensive end in the league in terms of Total Pressures (51) and Hurries (31).
Detroit Lions
Ezekiel Ansah – has a Pass Rushing Productivity of 13.1 to go along with 16 quarterback hits, which both place him second among 4-3 defensive ends.
Ndamukong Suh – leads all defensive tackles with 31 hurries, 46 total pressures and a +19.6 grade against the run this season.
DeAndre Levy – ranks number one among 4-3 outside linebackers with 41 stops against the run and a 15.9 Run Stop Percentage.
Recently at PFF
32 Observations, Week 14
Analysis Notebook: Week 14 – Rhodes
All-Star Team of the Week: Week 14
ReFo: Jets @ Vikings, Week 14
ReFo: Buccaneers @ Lions, Week 14
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.