Today the Vikings embark on a critical stretch of their schedule as they play three straight games against NFC North foes, starting this afternoon against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium.

And for the third game in a row, they will be without starting QB Sam Bradford, who was ruled out on Thursday due to a knee injury. So, backup QB Case Keenum will look to replicate the success he had last Sunday in guiding the team to a 34-17 win over Tampa Bay. It may be unrealistic to expect another career performance from Keenum, especially against a very sound Lions defense, but as long as he can avoid turnovers and keep the offense in manageable situations, the team should be in a position to emerge victorious.

Rookie RB Dalvin Cook has played a key part in helping the offense avoid those bad situations, often getting at least a yard or two on plays where other backs may lose ground. Detroit is giving up just 86 yards per game on the ground, but last week the Falcons ran for over 150 yards on them in Detroit, so Cook could be in store for another solid outing.

The duo of Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen has been talked about all week, and rightfully so, given they sit second and third in the NFL in receiving yards. The Lions do have some formidable playmakers in the secondary on defense, including S Glover Quin, who pick-sixed Matt Ryan last Sunday, so we'll see if that duo can repeat the success they've had for much of the first three weeks of the season.

On the other side of the ball, much of the talk this week at Winter Park has centered around QB Matthew Stafford, and rightfully so. Not only can he beat teams through the air, but as Vikings fans saw last year in the two narrow losses to the Lions, Stafford's ability to pick up yards with his feet is something the defense will have to account for.

Detroit has a pretty good receiving duo of their own with Golden Tate and Marvin Jones, so it'll be up to Xavier Rhodes and Co. to do to them what they've done to everyone else this year, and hold them mostly in check. Rookie Kenny Golladay didn't practice Thursday or Friday due to a hamstring injury and is questionable. RB Theo Riddick is another player to watch in the passing game that has given the Vikings trouble over the years.

On the special teams front, the Lions bring in a familiar face in the form of P Jeff Locke, who was signed by the Colts this offseason but cut them just prior to the season starting. He was signed then by the Lions to handle both the punting and kickoff duties after Week 1.

Stay with vikings.com and the Vikings App for coverage all day long, including live postgame press conferences after the contest.