Bold prediction Detroit Lions vs. Minnesota Vikings: Jared Goff stays without conceding a goal

The Detroit Lions suffered a major roster loss after last week's win over the Dallas Cowboys, with Aidan Hutchinson likely out for the year with a fractured tibia and fibula. Aside from dealing with that before Sunday's game against the Vikings, the Lions now have another big man to worry about.

Kevin Zeitler appeared on Thursday's injury report after suffering a groin injury in practice. From our Erik Schlitt in Friday's injury report:

Midweek injuries are usually bad news, and players often miss the upcoming game. Something Campbell suggested was the case here, although he left the door open for a possible quick recovery.

“I think it'll be hard to say he's playing, but I don't want to say he's out now, I'm not there yet,” Campbell said of Zeitler.

Zeitler has quietly been an outstanding addition, bringing an experienced and reliable presence to a relatively young position with high turnover in recent years. Losing him would be a blow to the Lions' offense, but nothing the Lions aren't prepared for.

When Frank Ragnow was sidelined in Week 4 with a partially torn pectoral muscle, Graham Glasgow moved into center while Kayode Awosika took over defense. The Lions overwhelmed the Seahawks in the ground game and kept Jared Goff so clean that he set an NFL record with 18 pass attempts.

However, the Lions still didn't play their cleanest game in pass protection. The Lions allowed three sacks against the Seahawks' front seven, which was missing four starters. They then allowed three sacks last week against a Cowboys defense that was missing two All-Pro pass rushers in Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. The Vikings are relatively healthy and will be a completely different animal.

Bold Prediction of the Week: The Lions give up two or fewer sacks against the Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings are a threatening team right now. Much of the attention is on Sam Darnold and the revamped offense, but their real strength lies in the defense, which ranks first in DVOA entering Week 7. The Vikings are averaging 4.0 sacks per game while the Lions are allowing 2.0 sacks per game on offense.

What the stats don't show are the circumstances surrounding those sacks. The Vikings' game strategy is very similar to that of the Lions, where they try to take an early lead and have the opposing offense move in predictable passing situations in a way that allows the defense to have fun. They executed that game plan really well, albeit often against very mediocre offenses like the Giants and Jets. The Vikings' closest games have come against stronger offenses like the Texans and Packers, which bodes well for the Lions, especially with Jared Goff breaking out.

The Vikings' defensive game plan starts with nose tackle Harrison Phillips, who has been a force to be reckoned with this season. However, it is questionable whether Phillips will be able to play on Sunday as he is struggling with a shoulder injury. On top of that, he's playing against a Frank Ragnow, who proved there is no rust against the Cowboys when he returned from injury.

With Ragnow at full health, the Lions' offense should also have better continuity if they have to use Kayode Awosika in place of Kevin Zeitler. What makes Ragnow elite is that he makes those around him better; This is a big reason why Awosika has evolved from a name that had Lions fans panicking ahead of the 2022 Thanksgiving game to a name that represents a seamless transition at guard. Should Awosika start on Sunday, having Ragnow alongside him while Glasgow holds the other guard spot should provide much more continuity in the level of offensive line play.

Like most games, this starts with the Lions offense taking control early. If they do that, the Vikings defense will have to stay honest, and it will make the offensive line's job of keeping Goff clean much easier. I believe the Lions will be the Vikings' biggest litmus test yet, and they are ready for the task. The ground game will perform better than expected against the injured Harrison Phillips, and the Vikings defense will be a step behind. Give me the Lions offense's first two-or-less sack game since Arizona, give me a flawless Jared Goff, and give me a Lions win to hand the Vikings their first loss of the season.