Vikings support Christian Ponder '100 percent'

Christian Ponder received an endorsement from Vikings general manager Rick Spielman on Wednesday, and was touted as the quarterback of the future in Minnesota.

NFL Power Rankings, Week 11: Vikings in middle of NFL

NFL writers have the 6-4 Vikings as a middle of the league team in their Week 11 power rankings

NFL injury report: Vikings escape Week 10 unscathed, Percy Harvin has bye to recover

The Minnesota Vikings escaped Week 10 without any significant injuries, and a pre-existing injury to wide receiver Percy Harvin will get some time to heal up during the upcoming bye week.

Lions vs. Vikings final score: Adrian Peterson powers Minnesota to 34-24 victory

Behind another huge game from Adrian Peterson, the Minnesota Vikings moved to 6-4 on the season with a 34-24 win against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

Peterson rushed for 171 yards and a touchdown on Sunday, his fourth straight game with at least 123 rushing yards. He got off to a slow start against Detroit, but was huge in the fourth quarter. Peterson ran for 110 yards in the fourth quarter. After Detroit scored to cut Minnesota's lead to 24-17, Peterson answered with a 61-yard touchdown run.

Minnesota jumped out early, taking a 10-0 lead after the first quarter. The Vikings led 13-3 at halftime and 24-10 early in the fourth quarter but Detroit came right back. Two big catches by Calvin Johnson led to a Lions touchdown, pulling Detroit within seven, but that was as close as it would get.

Detroit had the ball down seven, but failed to pickup a first down and Peterson broke the game open with a touchdown run shortly after. Johnson continued to rack up yards and a late touchdown. He finished with 12 receptions for 207 yards and a touchdown.

With the win, Minnesota improved to 6-4 while Detroit remains in the NFC North cellar at 4-5.

Fantasy studs and duds

After a slow start, Adrian Peterson finished strong and ended up rushing for 171 yards and a touchdown. Calvin Johnson caught 12 passes for 207 yards and scored a touchdown. Johnson just missed another touchdown, getting tackled at the 1-yard line.

After scoring three touchdowns last week, Mikel Leshoure was limited to 43 yards and no touchdowns against Minnesota.

Injury report

Cliff Avril left the game for Detroit with a concussion while Lions cornerback Chris Houston left the game in the fourth quarter with a leg injury.

Did they cover?

Detroit opened as a 3-point favorite, and failed to cover by a wide margin.

What's next?

Nov. 25, 1 p.m. ET: Minnesota vs. Chicago

Nov. 18, 1 p.m. ET: Detroit vs. Green Bay

This story originally appeared on SBNation.com.

Lions At Vikings: Detroit Closes The Gap

The Detroit Lions probably don't have enough time to come back and defeat the Minnesota Vikings, but I'm guessing that they've just made a lot of fantasy football owners happy.

After the Vikings made it 34-17, the Lions marched the ball downfield in fairly convincing fashion against a soft Vikings defense that was allowing a lot of underneath passes. Calvin Johnson was featured a lot, as you might expect, and that's how the Lions got into the end zone as well. Matthew Stafford found Johnson on the first play after the two-minute warning on a screen to the right side, and Johnson did the rest to get into the end zone from 11 yards out.

Johnson now has 12 receptions for 207 yards and a score. Strangely enough, that was Johnson's second touchdown catch of the year, and his first from Stafford.

Jason Hanson added the extra point to make the score 34-24, but could not get the onside kick, and now have to stop the Vikings with just two time outs left and 1:46 left on the clock.

The Vikings lead the Detroit Lions by a score of 34-24 at the Metrodome with time winding down.

Lions At Vikings: Minnesota Adds To Their Lead

The Minnesota Vikings are less than five minutes away from defeating the Detroit Lions at the Metrodome, and both sides of the ball have stepped it up.

The Lions got the ball back after Adrian Peterson's long touchdown run, but they didn't have it for long. Matthew Stafford found Calvin Johnson for a nice gain, but Johnson got hit by Jamarca Sanford and coughed up the football. Antoine Winfield recovered the fumble, giving the Vikings' defense their second turnover of the day.

The Vikings didn't do anything crazy. . .they just handed the ball to Adrian Peterson until they could pound their way into field goal range. Minnesota then called on Blair Walsh once again, and he connected on a 33-yard field goal to make the score 34-17.

Peterson now has 25 carries for 168 yards on the afternoon to go with his 61-yard touchdown run.

The clock is working against the Detroit Lions, as they trail the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 34-17 with 3:44 left in the game.

Lions At Vikings: Adrian Peterson Does It Again

The Minnesota Vikings needed to put some more distance between themselves and the Detroit Lions, and they did just that, courtesy of the best running back in the National Football League.

Minnesota started out on their own 25-yard line after forcing the Lions to punt, and they needed just two plays to go the distance. The Vikings gave the ball to Adrian Peterson on first down on a pitch to the left that gained 19 yards. After a five-yard penalty for delay of game on the Vikings, Peterson found the right side much more to his liking, as he got through a couple of tackles and streaked 61 yards to the end zone for the touchdown. Blair Walsh added the extra point, and the Vikings' lead is back to two scores at 31-17.

Peterson now has 21 carries for 143 yards on the afternoon, the fifth consecutive game that he has gone over the century mark.

The Vikings have just forced a Lions turnover, as Jamarca Sanford caused Calvin Johnson to cough one up and Antoine Winfield recovered it. The Vikings are now deep in Detroit territory again.

We have about seven minutes left at the Metrodome, and the Vikings lead the Lions 31-17 and are looking for more.

Lions At Vikings: Detroit Adds Seven More

The Detroit Lions are doing what they do best. . .moving the football in the fourth quarter, and the Minnesota Vikings' lead is back to a touchdown as we play in the fourth quarter.

The Lions were aided by a pretty weak personal foul call on safety Mistral Raymond on running back Mikel Leshoure, but Matthew Stafford has continued to find Calvin Johnson to move the ball downfield. The biggest play of the drive was a 25-yard laser that moved the Lions down to the Minnesota 3-yard line.

On first-and-goal, the Lions found the end zone, as Stafford hit Titus Young for a 3-yard touchdown pass. Jason Hanson hit the extra point, and the score moved to 24-17.

The Lions have more fourth-quarter points and yardage than any team in the National Football League. If the Vikings want to secure a victory in this one, they need to continue to increase their lead.

With 11:27 left in the game, the Minnesota Vikings lead the Detroit Lions by a score of 24-17.

Lions At Vikings: Kyle Rudolph Gets To The End Zone

The Minnesota Vikings needed to answer the Detroit Lions' latest touchdown, and that's exactly what they did on a very impressive drive.

After completing 10-of-11 passes in the third quarter of play, Christian Ponder picked up where he left off, moving the Vikings down the field with relative ease. One of the big targets on the drive was tight end Kyle Rudolph, who converted several third downs on the drive for Minnesota, including one that got them to the Detroit 20-yard line.

In first-and-10 from the 20, Ponder dropped back and found Rudolph again in the left flat. Rudolph made one man miss, and got an outstanding block from Michael Jenkins to allow him to go to the end zone untouched for the score.

With a 22-10 lead, the Vikings went for two, and they did it the easy way. . .handing the ball to Adrian Peterson and letting him crash into the end zone. Those two points gave the Vikings a two-touchdown lead at 24-10.

We've just started the fourth quarter of play, and the Vikings now lead the Lions by a score of 24-10.

Lions At Vikings: Detroit Gets A Touchdown

It was only a matter of time before the Detroit Lions remembered that they had Calvin Johnson on their team, and it couldn't have come at a worse time for the Minnesota Vikings.

Following the Blair Walsh field goal, the Lions took over deep in their own territory. It didn't matter to the Lions, though, as Matthew Stafford found Johnson on two consecutive passes. The first went for 20 yards, and the second one went for 50 down to the Minnesota 11-yard line.

After a first down play that saw Stafford fumble a shotgun snap from center, Stafford hit tight end Brandon Pettigrew for a 16-yard touchdown pass, and the extra point narrowed the gap to 16-10.

On the Lions' last series, both Jared Allen and Kevin Williams were on the sideline. Not exactly sure of the logic or reasoning behind that, exactly.

We have a shade under three minutes left in the third quarter of play, and the Minnesota Vikings lead the Detroit Lions by a score of 16-10.

Lions At Vikings: Minnesota Adds Another Field Goal

The Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions exchanged punts to start the third quarter of play at the Metrodome, but the Vikings put together a nice second drive and extended their lead.

Minnesota started in Detroit territory after fielding their punt, and two carries by Adrian Peterson and a pass to Kyle Rudolph gave the Vikings a first down. On the ensuing second down, Christian Ponder found receiver Devin Aromashodu for a big play, hitting a 31-yard catch-and-run to get the Vikings down to the Detroit 3-yard line.

Things unraveled a bit after that, as Ponder got tripped up by Brandon Fusco on first down for a seven-yard loss, and the Vikings could only get back to the Detroit 5-yard line. In came rookie Blair Walsh once again, and he connected for his third field goal of the day. Just like his second one, this one came from 23 yards out.

We have a little more than five minutes to go in the third quarter of play, and the Minnesota Vikings now lead the Detroit Lions by a score of 16-3. The Lions have been a very good fourth-quarter team this year, so the Vikings shouldn't start getting comfortable yet.

Lions At Vikings: Minnesota Lead Back To Ten

The Minnesota Vikings put together another nice drive, and their lead over the Detroit Lions is back to ten points.

Starting deep in their own territory, the Vikings got their drive going via the legs of Adrian Peterson. The NFL's leading rusher carried for 15 yards on first down, and Christian Ponder escaped the pocket for a 20-yard run of his own on the next play. A 14-yard carry by Peterson and a 16-yard pass from Ponder to Kyle Rudolph had the Vikings in business to the Detroit 22-yard line.

The Vikings managed another first down on the drive, but things stalled out after a 10-yard pass to Toby Gerhart on third-and-13. Minnesota played it safe and called on Blair Walsh once again for a 23-yard field goal attempt, which he connected on to make the score 13-3.

Adrian Peterson has now gone over the 1,000 yard mark with the 39 yards he's picked up this afternoon. Congratulations to him on that achievement.

We have 4:41 remaining in the first half of play at the Metrodome, and the Minnesota Vikings lead the Detroit Lions by a score of 13-3.

Lions At Vikings: Detroit Answers Back

After a rough first quarter of play, the Detroit Lions have shown some signs of life against the Minnesota Vikings, and have gotten themselves on the board.

Starting from their own 8-yard line, the Lions pushed the ball downfield thanks to a couple of nice catches by Titus Young and Calvin Johnson. Detroit pushed the ball all the way down to the Minnesota 10-yard line, but proceeded to lose yards on two consecutive plays, including an 11-yard sack by defensive tackle Kevin Williams on third down.

The Lions brought in the ageless Jason Hanson, who connected on a field goal from 41 yards out, and the Lions had their first points of the afternoon to cut their deficit to 10-3.

The Vikings' defense still hasn't allowed the Lions to convert a third down opportunity on the afternoon. The Lions only faced one third down on their most recent drive, and it resulted in the sack by Williams, making the Lions 0-for-4 on third down in the early going.

With a little more than eleven minutes left before halftime at the Metrodome, the Minnesota Vikings lead the Detroit Lions by a score of 10-3.

Lions At Vikings: Minnesota Turns Pick Into Points

The Minnesota Vikings have gotten off to a fairly nice start against the Detroit Lions, as they've extended their lead to ten points in the early going.

After the Jarius Wright touchdown, the Vikings pushed the Lions into a third-and-long situation, and Matthew Stafford threw a pass intended for Brandon Pettigrew that was intercepted by Chad Greenway. Greenway stumbled forward to the Detroit 25-yard line, and the Vikings were in business. The interception for Greenway was his first since January 3, 2010.

On first down, however, Christian Ponder dropped back to pass, and had his throw deflected by Cliff Avril. . .right back into Ponder's hands. Ponder caught the ball, and was tackled by Avril for what turned out to be a 15-yard loss. The Vikings recovered enough to get the ball to the 31-yard line, and that was good enough for Blair Walsh to come in and blast a 48-yard field goal that stayed just inside the left upright.

We're approaching the five-minute mark of the first quarter at the Metrodome, and the Minnesota Vikings now lead the Detroit Lions by a score of 10-0.

Lions At Vikings: Minnesota Shows The Wright Stuff

The Minnesota Vikings have gotten on the board first in their contest against the Detroit Lions, and they got a boost from a new face in the lineup.

After forcing the Lions to punt on their first possession, the Vikings started with decent field position on their own 33-yard line. After a first down in their first two plays, the Vikings found themselves facing a third-and-10 from their own 45. Christian Ponder took a shotgun snapped, avoided some pressure, and lofted a beautiful pass to rookie Jarius Wright, who is active today for the first time in his career. Wright hauled the pass in, and it was good for 54 yards down to the Detroit 1-yard line.

After a false start on first-and-goal moved Minnesota back five yards, Adrian Peterson had a three yard carry. Then, on second-and-goal, Ponder faked the handoff to Peterson and found Wright in the front left corner of the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown, the first of Wright's career.

The scoring drive moved 67 yards in 7 plays, taking 3:31 off of the clock.

With 7:52 left in the first quarter of play at the Metrodome, the Minnesota Vikings lead the Detroit Lions by a score of 7-0.

Vikings vs. Lions inactive lists: Percy Harvin out for Minnesota

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin is inactive Sunday against the Detroit Lions after spraining his ankle last week against the Seattle Seahawks. Harvin had been listed as doubtful on the injury reports this week.

Other inactive players for Minnesota are quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson, defensive back Brandon Burton, linebacker Marvin Mitchell, offensive lineman Mark Asper, tight end Allen Reisner and defensive tackle Letroy Guion.

The Lions will still be without defensive tackle Corey Williams, who has missed two games due to a knee injury. The team also remains without starting safety Louis Delmas, who has played in just three games this season.

Other inactives for the Lions are defensive back Amari Spievey, offensive lineman Corey Hilliard, offensive lineman Jason Fox, quarterback Kellen Moore and wide receiver Brian Robiskie.

The Vikings beat the Lions in Detroit, 20-13, earlier this season, despite not scoring an offensive touchdown. Harvin's 105-yard kickoff return for a touchdown provided one of Minnesota's scores in that game.

Percy Harvin injury: Vikings wide receiver out vs. Lions

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Lions vs. Vikings: Game time, TV schedule, injury updates and more

The Vikings look to get their season back on track on Sunday when they host the Lions in the Metrodome.

Lions vs. Vikings injury report: Percy Harvin officially doubtful for Sunday

Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin is listed as doubtful for Sunday's contest against the Lions.

Percy Harvin injury: Wide receiver expected to miss game vs. Lions

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NFL odds Week 10: Lions vs. Vikings

With an injured Percy Harvin hindering an already struggling passing game, the odds makers see the Vikings as underdogs in their match-up against Detroit on Sunday.