Neal: Sunday vs. the Lions is big, but a victory would set the Vikings up for far more

The majority of the country will be able to watch the 5-0 Vikings meet the 4-1 Lions in a battle of NFC North early season titans. Which is the way it should be when division leaders meet.

And the Vikings will receive more national attention just four days later during Kevin O’Connell’s return to Los Angeles, where KOC won a Super Bowl with the Rams as an assistant under Sean McVay.

Certainly, Thursday night games add more stress to what already is a grind of a season. In this case, the surprising Vikings are closing in on a 7-0 start if they handle the Lions at home and the Rams on the road. And that’s 7-0 heading into a soft spot on their schedule.

They would cement themselves as a force in the NFC, and you would be forced into thinking, “This is real,” and wondering, “Where is this headed?”

The Vikings have started 7-0 four times and 8-0 twice. Only the 1973 team reached the Super Bowl. I won’t recount every heartbreaking end to those promising seasons, as words like “Bountygate” and names like “Josh McCown” come to mind.

But there’s nothing that energizes a fan base like when their NFL team is on a heater. And the Vikings have an opportunity to pull off two victories in five days to join the 7-0 club. That would be quite the October surprise.

Step one is defeating the Lions on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium. KOC is 1-3 against the Lions and lost both meetings last season, but those were with Nick Mullens, the fourth quarterback used following Kirk Cousins’ torn Achilles, running the offense.

This will be a big moment for Sam Darnold, who was excellent in his first three games but less than that in his past two. And that Jets game on Oct. 6 in London? Regrets? He should have a few, because he left plays on the field.

Detroit rusher Aidan Hutchinson is out for the season after breaking his left leg last week, which is a significant blow for the Lions. But it provides Darnold an opportunity to regain his upward trajectory against a weakened pass rush. There will be yards available through the air against a secondary that lacks depth. If defensive back Kindle Vildor steps onto the field, go right at him. We’ve seen his act with the Bears.

What’s that? The Lions scored 30 points in two meetings against the Vikings last season? Sure. But while the defense improved under Brian Flores in 2023, it was not operating at the level he expected. Credit General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah for bringing in the players Flores wanted via free agency. Jonathan Greenard has been one of the biggest disrupters in the league this season. All Andrew Van Ginkel does is return interceptions for touchdowns. Flores has more to throw at Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.

The matchups and the matchups within the matchups make this appointment viewing. My favorite is the battle of coordinators between Flores and Johnson. I like Flores’ chances of winning this time. The other matchup will be Darnold against the Lions defense, a task that could be more complicated if Aaron Jones is unable to play. Yet the Vikings stand an excellent chance of winning if Darnold again proves they were right in signing him.

A victory over Detroit, on top of their victories over the Texans (5-1) and San Francisco (3-3 but tied for the NFC West lead), and there is your validation.

O’Connell’s return to Los Angeles makes for an easy pregame angle. The 1-4 Rams sure aren’t, as they have suffered a slew of injuries. The challenge here will be to take advantage of a banged-up Rams team. The return of wide receiver Cooper Kupp shouldn’t be enough to make up for the Rams’ shortcomings elsewhere.

Two wins away from 7-0. Two wins in five days would provide fantastic momentum, with upcoming games against Indianapolis, Jacksonville and Tennessee.

That would match the seven wins I predicted the Vikings would get all season. It won’t be Halloween yet, and the Vikings will have made me revisit my thinking on this season.