Every week during the regular season Tim Twentyman will answer questions from his X account @ttwentyman for a Lions Mailbag.
Twentyman: It's going to be a full team effort this week against a Minnesota defense that sends the blitz about 70 percent of the time this year, far and away the most in the NFL (Washington is next at 40 percent).
To me, this game is just as much about what running back Jahmyr Gibbs does without the ball in his hand picking up the blitz as it is with the ball in his hands.
The Lions are looking for more explosives in the run game and there are some opportunities this week to do so if Detroit blocks it right up front and leave Gibbs one-on-one with a safety. Some of Gibbs' best highlight runs have been against the Vikings.
He also has to step up and take on linebackers Blake Cashman (4.5 sacks) and Andrew Van Ginkel (4.0) when they come on the blitz. It's an area Gibbs has been much improved at this year. Sione Vaki will be tasked with this as well.
Minnesota's blitz percentage forces running backs to step up and take on the free rushers, which leaves less time helping on the edges with chips or nudges. That leaves a lot of one-on-one opportunities on the outside, and Vikings third-year edge rusher Dallas Turner will take advantage. Turner has 36 pressures this season, the most by any Minnesota defender. Van Ginkel has 19 and Cashman has 16.
Right tackle Blake Miller has been good in his first season and still hasn't allowed a sack, but his 12 pressures allowed lead the team. This will be a great matchup to watch Sunday.
Twentyman: The Lions moved Keith Abney II to safety in training camp out of necessity, but the rookie quickly showed the smarts, instincts and playmaking for the team to want to continue working with him there. I think he fits the role. He's one of the smartest rookies I've spoken with.
When Kerby Joseph gets back into the mix there will be some opportunities to play all three of those players because of the versatility Brian Branch and Abney have. Both can play the nickel, which gives defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard some interesting personnel package opportunities.
Abney has shown enough to continue to get some opportunities even when Joseph comes back. I'm sure the team will treat his return much like they did with Branch and have him on a pitch count to begin, so there will still be chances for Abney and veteran Chuck Clark to see reps. It's worth mentioning how well Clark's played of late. He's in the mix for some of those packages as well.
Twentyman: I'm not expecting this week based on how the Lions usually handle these situations. The team started his 21-day practice window on Wednesday, so they essentially have three weeks to decide on his return. At Miami on Nov. 8 could be a possibility if the knee responds well to two weeks of practice, then start ramping up the reps Nov. 15 in Munich vs. New England and Nov. 22 vs. Tampa Bay at home. It all depends on how his knee responds to practice.
Twentyman: GM Brad Holmes is always looking for ways to improve the roster. The Lions were in on talks with Pittsburgh to acquire cornerback Joey Porter Jr. before he ended up in Dallas. Detroit's played better in the secondary since, but infusing more veteran talent into the cornerback room can't hurt. They could also maybe look to add to the linebacker room with some more speed and coverage skills.
Twentyman: Roger McCreary (67), D.J. Reed (61), Ennis Rakestraw (21), Khalil Dorsey (14) and Rock Ya-Sin (14) all played at least 14 defensive snaps on Sunday against the Packers. Will we see another group effort against Justin Jefferson and Co. this week? Minnesota ranks 25th in completions of 20-plus yards (15).
The Lions could still look to add help to the defense before the deadline.
Twentyman: There's no path right now because Detroit hasn't suffered any injuries ahead of him. It's just a numbers game for Hassanein. Having edge depth isn't a bad thing so I would be a little surprised by a trade.
