David Rodriguez Munoz / USA TODAY NETWORK After a bittersweet victory over the Dallas Cowboys, how can this Detroit Lions team take a step forward with their game against the Minnesota Vikings? The blowout victory over the Dallas Cowboys sits in the past, and the Detroit Lions are moving on to bigger and better things—like playing a Minnesota Vikings team that sits at 5-0 on the season and 1-0 in the division. Last year, the Lions clinched their first NFC North title with a win over the Vikings in Week 16, and they’ll be traveling back to where it all happened: U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. So for Thursday’s Question of the Day, we revisit this kind of question… How do the Detroit Lions take another step forward in Week 7? Even though the Lions won convincingly over the Cowboys last week, the loss of Aidan Hutchinson certainly puts Detroit in a difficult spot. There isn’t a one-to-one replacement out there that won’t cost an arm and a leg in terms of draft capital. And what makes matters worse is that Hutchinson’s injury came after the Lions lost both Marcus Davenport and Derrick Barnes, two other starters who helped man the edges of their front-seven, for the season a few weeks earlier. In order for the Lions to pick up the pieces and move forward after such a blow to their defense, it’s really up to Aaron Glenn to help Detroit take another step forward this week. What better measuring stick than the Vikings, the team in first place in the NFC North, to prove your defense wasn’t some one-man show? Patrolling the other sideline is Brian Flores, the mastermind behind the No. 1 defense in the NFL—first against the pass (-40.9%) and first against the run (-36.2%). Flores is an expert at simulating pressure and disguising blitzes. Last year, the Vikings led the league in blitz rate (51.5%) and three-man pass rushes (19.1%) which really speaks to the unpredictability of how he calls defense. After being so blitz happy in 2022 (31.2%, seventh), Glenn proved to be a bit more tactical in his approach to dialing up the blitz last year (28.7%, 11th). The way Glenn found a way to get the most out of a player like Ifeatu Melifonwu down the stretch was extremely encouraging from both a player development standpoint and a coaching standpoint. Glenn is going to have to get creative without his best pass rusher, but there’s enough tape to show he knows when to force the offense’s hand. But Glenn’s real opponent on Sunday is Kevin O’Connell. Last year, O’Connell made do with Josh Dobbs and Nick Mullens after Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles in Week 8, keeping the Vikings in the playoff picture until late into the season. This year, he’s put Sam Darnold’s name into the MVP discussion en route to a 5-0 record. Last year, the Vikings’ offensive line struggled to find its footing, mostly because they had five different offensive line combinations play at least 100 snaps together—tied for the most in the NFL. This year, Minnesota is the second-highest graded unit (78.0) when it comes to run blocking per Pro Football Focus, and seventh in adjusted line yards (4.77) per FTN. The consistency has been key as all five of their starting offensive linemen have played in all five contests so far. While the pass blocking hasn’t been as good (24th is adjusted sack rate, 9.1%), it’s the complementary football that has helped the offense put points on the board. The Vikings defense averages the most takeaways per game (2.6) in the NFL, and with more opportunities and shorter fields, they’ve been able to put points on the board. If the Lions want to take a step in the right direction this week, it’ll be up to Aaron Glenn to prove Detroit’s defense is capable of getting home to the quarterback without their best pass rusher coming off the edge.