EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- A three-day weekend and nine days off between games should be enough to help the Minnesota Vikings refresh and erase the feelings of last week's 42-10 loss on Thursday night.
Players were given time off because of the Thursday night game. Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer stewed in the disappointment of the loss at Green Bay.
"It seems like it's been a long time that we've had this bad taste in our mouth from Thursday," Zimmer said, later adding: "I thought I'd be a lot fresher feeling than what I was."
The Vikings will have the chance to wash the taste from their mouths and prove the time off was a good then when they host the Detroit Lions on Sunday at TCF Bank Stadium.
Here are five things to watch in Sunday's game:
Minnesota made it clear early this week; Teddy Bridgewater was healthy enough to return to the starting quarterback role and Christian Ponder was back on the bench. One week was enough for Bridgewater to return from his sprained left ankle. He practiced all week and will start against Detroit's top-ranked defense.
There's been no concern from coaches or Bridgewater this week about his injured ankle. He said he won't wear a brace and will have the ankle taped. He doesn't expect any mobility issues, which would be an important factor on Sunday against the Lions' defensive front. Detroit has 12 sacks this season, which is tied for seventh in the league.
Bridgewater will have a tough time replicating his first NFL start. Two weeks ago against Atlanta at TCF Bank Stadium, he was 19 of 30 for 317 yards and ran for a touchdown. Sunday will be Bridgewater's second career start and first within the NFC North.
The topic that won't go away is the limited impact receiver Cordarrelle Patterson has made this season. With just two catches for eight yards last week before leaving with a hip injury, there is still the question of why Minnesota can't get its top offensive playmaker more involved.
Patterson was a key part of the Vikings' season-opening win by rushing for more than 100 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown run. He's touched the ball on offense just 13 times in the past four games and just four times in the past two weeks.
The issues are likely three-fold. Patterson has seen more defensive attention, particularly without running back Adrian Peterson on the field. Patterson still must evolve as a route-runner and in understanding how defenses try to attack him -- and quarterbacks have to get him the ball.
Hopefully, one piece to the puzzle is resolved with Bridgewater's return to the lineup. But Detroit's defense has clamped down on opposing passing games. The Lions entered the week with the league's fifth-ranked pass defense, allowing just 208 yards per game.
Known for its offense in recent seasons, Detroit has been led by its defense under new coordinator Teryl Austin. The Lions have allowed a league-low 282.4 total yards per game and are second in the league in scoring defense, giving up just 15.8 points per game.
Opposing defenses always have to know where Detroit star receiver Calvin Johnson is. Sunday, Johnson will likely be on the sideline. The league's best receiver has missed all week of practice and is listed as doubtful. He isn't expected to play on Sunday, which could help Minnesota's 11th-ranked pass defense.
The NFL is a survival of the fittest and these two teams prove winning is about withstanding attrition. The Lions are also expected to be without running back Reggie Bush, who didn't practice this week. Tight end Joseph Fauria, a red-zone threat at 6-foot-7, has already been declared out.
Minnesota finally sees a team dealing with the same issues. The Vikings, of course, are without Peterson while he deals with legal issues. Quarterback Matt Cassel and starting right guard Brandon Fusco have been lost for the year. Tight end Kyle Rudolph still isn't close to returning to practice after double sports hernia surgery and linebacker Chad Greenway's return is uncertain.
Greenway has missed two straight games with broken ribs and a broken hand. He returned to the practice for the first time in two weeks in a limited basis on Friday, but Zimmer wasn't sure if he would play Sunday. Zimmer said the team will make a determination on Saturday and even if Greenway plays, it won't be in a full-time role.
At least a little bit of good news on the injury front for Minnesota: Safety Harrison Smith is expected to play as he deals with an ankle injury.
The Vikings are 2-3, tied with the Chicago Bears in the division, one game behind Detroit and Green Bay Packers. Minnesota could help itself tremendously in the NFC North with a win. Is this an up week for the Vikings?
In Minnesota's five games this season, the margin of victory is an average of 21.4 points a game. The Vikings have won games by 28 and 13 points. They've lost by 23, 11 and 32. Meanwhile the defense will go from stingy to sieve, which led Zimmer this week to say "at times we're like the Bad News Bears."
Minnesota owns the league's 15th-ranked defense in Zimmer's first season, giving up 347.4 total yards per game. The new coach has seen positive signs, but also too many mistakes. The Vikings will need to clean up the mistakes for a complete performance, which would certainly help Zimmer's mental outlook after last week's disappointment.
If there's one aspect in Minnesota's favor it's, frankly, facing the Lions. So far, Detroit is still Detroit. The Lions are tied atop the NFC North but have been equally inconsistent. The Lions appeared ready to separate themselves in the division and then lost 17-14 at home against the Buffalo Bills and Kyle Orton last week.
Buffalo scored 17 unanswered points to pull out a come-from-behind win on the road. Detroit's offense could do little with Bush a spectator and Johnson mostly a decoy, compiling just 273 yards of total offense. The Lions' lone touchdown was an interception return.
And then there's history. The Vikings are no longer in the Metrodome, but Detroit has lost 15 of its last 16 games in Minnesota.
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