The last time the Detroit Lions played the Minnesota Vikings in 2019, their team was nearly unrecognizable thanks to the large number of injuries that played out.
Perhaps the biggest player missing that day was quarterback Matthew Stafford. Stafford was lost for the year by the meeting with the Vikings, and Detroit suffered greatly on the afternoon. They could barely complete a pass and sustain a drive, and lost largely because of subpar backup quarterback play as they did most of the end of last season.
This time, though, the Lions figure to be in much better shape with Chase Daniel should it come to that on Sunday in Minnesota. Long one of the more established backups in the league, a situation like this is exactly why the Lions paid up to get Daniel in the offseason. With the coronavirus pandemic raging, Detroit knew a situation like this could come up and didn’t want an unproven backup to be leading the team.
It might not sound like much to Lions fans, but being able to have Daniel as their security blanket is good news. He’s started enough games in the past that he could come in and win a game like Sunday in order to help the Lions stick around the playoff race.
Daniel already has the goods to compete in this very game as he’s proven before.
Chase Daniel Owns Vikings
In his career, Daniel is 3-0 against the Vikings. He’s been a stable option against them in the past, and has been 22/31 for 195 yards with 1 score. He also hasn’t thrown an interception. Playing with Chicago, Daniel was able to get his feet wet against Minnesota and often delivered the goods. He’s the right kind of quarterback to pitch in on a short week and hold the fort enough for the team to get a win.
Right now, it looks as if Stafford might still be a good bet to start for the Lions even being observed for COVID-19 symptoms. If that’s not the case, the team will be able to have faith that Daniel is the best man for the job and has an excellent history against the Vikings to rely on.
Chase Daniel’s Career Statistics
After playing college football at Missouri, Daniel came into the league as an undrafted free agent in 2009. His first stop was with the Washington Redskins, and from there, he moved onto the Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears. In his career, the 33 year old Daniel has put up 7 touchdowns, 1,430 yards and made a total of 5 career starts. He’s been more known as a backup than anything else.
With the Bears, Daniel has made his biggest impact. He beat the Lions on Thanksgiving Day in 2018 when Mitch Trubisky couldn’t play, and seemingly, that’s just the type of game the Lions could ask him to win in the absence of their quarterback moving forward.
The one thing Daniel has done exceptionally well in his career is beat Minnesota
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Lions’ Chase Daniel Has Promising Stat Against Vikings