The Detroit Lions were manhandled in Week 2. The Minnesota Vikings sent them home with their second straight loss. Matthew Stafford was barraged, and Detroit’s defense was embarrassed.

The Vikings will head to Ford Field this Sunday looking to dismantle Detroit once again. This will test Detroit. Though their offense picked up against the Chicago Bears, it doesn’t mean much. The Bears aren’t really a good team. The Lions stole their first victory in overtime and still believe that they can right the ship.

This upcoming Sunday will prove it all. Minnesota is a much better team than Chicago, and they feature a better pass rush and secondary. If the Lions cannot attack them deep and protect Stafford, Chicago’s game becomes nothing more than a mirage. It’s not like Detroit has any realistic playoff hopes, but they can look to continue their upward trend.

Stafford passed for over 400 yards and four touchdowns. Calvin Johnson caught a touchdown and racked up 166 receiving yards. It was the Stafford and Johnson of old. And it was what this offense had been lacking. The Lions need to continue to throw deep and challenge the opposition. Though Chicago isn’t a great team, Detroit wouldn’t have survived with a dink-and-dunk offense. It’s tiresome and damaging.

The Lions need their defense to neutralize Adrian Peterson the way they did Matt Forte. If Peterson runs wild, Minnesota will gain the sweep. Teddy Bridgewater will have an easier day throwing the football, and will contribute with his legs as well. The Lions’ pass rush couldn’t quite get to Jay Cutler because of his elusiveness. Bridgewater poses the same problem. Detroit’s tackling will need to be sound.

The Lions were still sloppy in their win. Play like that will only prevent them from beating a good Minnesota team. Sloppy play may fly against subpar teams like Chicago, but Minnesota will capitalize.

A 1-5 record isn’t a promising sign. It’s sad to say, but the Lions’ season is pretty much over. Now all they can do is play for pride and prove that they were their biggest enemies all along. Even then, it still doesn’t matter. A season that had so much promise now has much disappointment.