Lions vs. Vikings: Top 5 Matchups To Watch

Detroit's offensive line has struggled this year, to say the least. They have allowed 17 sacks through five weeks, almost as many as they allowed in all of the 2013 season. Right now, Stafford is being sacked 8.3 percent of the time he drops back to pass -- second-worst in the league to Jacksonville, according to ESPN. The Vikings don't have a good defensive line, so the Lions have to get it together and win this matchup.

On the contrary, the Lions' greatest strength is their defensive line. It's almost impossible to run on Detroit this year, and they certainly know how to rush the quarterback. Minnesota's offensive line was only ranked 26th by Pro Football Focus, and third-year starter Matt Kalil has regressed after a promising rookie year. The Lions have potential here to dominate this matchup.

The last time rookie QB Teddy Bridgewater started in Week 4 against the Falcons, he lit them up for 317 yards and completed 19 of 30 passes. The Vikings are a different team with him behind center; all you have to do is see their game last week against Green Bay when QB Christian Ponder started. Detroit's secondary has been strong all year and it will be fun to see if they can shutdown the rookie.

Star WR Calvin Johnson will most likely miss this week's game with a high-ankle sprain, so that means WR Golden Tate once again will have to revert to being the No. 1 option on offense, which he's been the last couple weeks. Tate is coming off back-to-back 100-yard games for the first time in his career, and with him going up against a suspect Vikings secondary, it'll be imperative for Tate to continue his upward trend.

Vikings' coaches just don't lose to the Lions historically. Because this is both Jim Caldwell's and Mike Zimmer's first seasons with their respective teams, it'll be very important for Caldwell to win his first matchup against Minnesota -- the same way he did against the Packers. If Caldwell truly wants to change the culture in Detroit, starting off 2-0 within the division would be a big step.