3 NFL Storylines to Watch in Week 12

Will the Lions Eat the Vikings for Thanksgiving Dinner?

The first of three Thanksgiving Day games on Thursday happens to be one of the most important matchups on the entire Week 12 schedule. The 8-2 Minnesota Vikings are looking to keep pace with the 9-1 Philadelphia Eagles for a chance at having the best record in the conference. The stakes are much higher for the 6-4 Detroit Lions, however. The traditional Thanksgiving Day home team attempts to keep the NFC North division -- or, at they very least, a wild card spot -- within striking distance.

The last time the Vikings lost a game was back in Week 4 against these same Lions. Prior to suffering a season-ending knee injury, rookie running back Dalvin Cook scored Minnesota's lone touchdown in a 14-7 defeat. Case Keenum found himself back on the bench the following week against the Chicago Bears, but was quickly called upon to replace a hobbled Sam Bradford. And the current six-game win streak was born.

As for the Lions, they went into a tailspin, dropping three consecutive games to the Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, and Pittsburgh Steelers. Detroit has since enjoyed a stark step down in competition, picking up three straight victories against the Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns, and Chicago Bears.

The recent uptick in the Lions offense has come in the passing game. According to Sharp Football Stats, Detroit's passing game was fifth in passing success rate from Weeks 8-11, a large improvement from their season rank of 16th. During that time, the Lions were highest among all teams in explosive pass play rate, i.e., pass plays that gained 20 yards or more.

Unfortunately for Matthew Stafford and company, the Vikings are the number two defense limiting such explosive pass plays. And the Minnesota offense provides a massive counterpunch should they end up in a shootout. In addition to being the second-best passing offense in numberFire's scheduled-adjusted metrics, Minnesota is currently fourth in both passing success rate and explosive passing rate.