Minnesota Vikings- Josh Robinson
Minnesota safety Josh Robinson (M) and the Vikings defense upset the San Francisco 49ers 24-13 last week. Reuters

The Minnesota Vikings will shoot for first place in the NFC North as they face the Detroit Lions Sunday afternoon at Ford Field.

The game begins at 1p.m. EDT and will be shown by Fox, or you may watch a live stream online by purchasing NFL Sunday Ticket Max.

Quarterback Christian Ponder led Minnesota to a 24-13 upset over the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday, going 21-for-35 for 198 yards with two passing touchdowns, and a 23-yard run for a score. Ponder has not thrown an interception this season and is second in the league with a 70.1 completion percentage.

Along with Ponder, running back Adrian Peterson rushed 25 times for 86 yards and kept the San Francisco offense on the sidelines.

The Vikings defense made their strongest contribution of the season thus far, creating three turnovers, blocking a field goal in the second quarter, and never allowing the 49ers to have a drive longer than six minutes.

Minnesota will try to repeat their performance last week against the No. 1 passing offense in Detroit.

Detroit nearly survived after quarterback Matthew Stafford left in the fourth quarter with a leg strain, but the Lions lost a 44-41 overtime shootout to the Tennessee Titans last week.

Backup quarterback Shaun Hill stepped in for Stafford and led the team on two touchdown drives, including a 46-yard bomb to receiver Titus Young with no time on the clock to force overtime.

Running back Mikel LeShoure gained 100 yards and scored a touchdown in his first game back from a drug suspension.

Receiver Calvin Johnson, who leads the league in receiving yards with 369, made 10 receptions for 164 yards and one touchdown versus the Titans.

Tennessee’s offensive explosion exposed the Lions’ secondary, which gave up a record five scoring plays of 60 or more yards, and 437 total passing yards.

For Detroit, safety Louis Delmas is doubtful and linebacker Justin Durant and tight end Tony Scheffler are questionable.

Minnesota linebacker Erin Henderson is doubtful with a concussion and safety Mistral Raymond is out for the next five weeks with an ankle injury.

Betting Odds: Detroit is favored by 4 points; Over/Under: 49 points

Prediction: Currently the Minnesota defense is playing much better than Detroit’s, and Ponder should take advantage of the Lions' weak secondary for a win.

Predicted Score: Minnesota 27, Detroit 20

National Football League