Michigan Quinnen Williams Jersey , his allegiance to the Bears was well-established.Leaving Chicagoland, Cousins wondered aloud to his dad whether they’d be required to become fans of the Lions and the other Detroit-area teams.“He said, ‘Kirk, you can take the boy out of Chicago. You can’t take Chicago out of the boy,'” Cousins recalled this week.Loyal to the Bears they remained, but inside Michigan’s borders the Lions always received top TV billing. So Cousins moved through his teenage years and on to college at Michigan State with more than adequate coverage of the Lions, a clear familiarity that has only deepened now that Cousins has joined a different team in the NFC North in Minnesota.The Vikings (4-3-1) will host the Lions (3-4) on Sunday, the first time Cousins, who’s second in the NFL with 2,521 passing yards, will face his home state’s squad as a division rival.“I think with every game we play, I can point to something about the team or an opponent on the team or a coach or whatever it might be that makes you feel like you’re living a dream,” Cousins said, “and certainly going against the Detroit Lions is no different being that I grew up in that state.”With the Bears (4-3) and Green Bay Packers (3-3-1) bunched in http://www.jetsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-jachai-polite-jersey , too, this game will be the first of several in the second half of the season to shape a tight race.“Division games count for two,” Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “You get the win, and they get the loss. They’re big games, and the more you can go and win those, whether on the road or at your place, the better. We have a big stretch of them coming up.”Here are some other key angles to follow with the game:MATCHING MEGATRONAdam Thielen leads the NFL with 74 receptions and 925 yards for the Vikings. With at least 100 yards in each of the first eight games, Thielen has tied Lions legend Calvin Johnson for the longest streak in league history. Johnson’s run was in 2012, when he set the all-time NFL record with 1,964 yards.As a football-loving kid living in Minnesota, Thielen naturally tried to emulate Cris Carter and Randy Moss. But Johnson was another star wide receiver he closely watched. Johnson, who retired after the 2015 season, wore No. 21 in college at Georgia Tech. So did Thielen at Detroit Lakes High School, not coincidentally.“He could block Chuma Edoga Jersey , he could run short routes, he could run deep routes, and he’d catch everything,” Thielen said. “When people were draped all over him, he’d still make the plays. I just remember a lot of games where Stafford would just throw the ball up, and there’d be three guys on him and he’d still come down with the ball.”With Stefon Diggs another dangerous option for Cousins, limiting Thielen has been even more of a challenge for opponents.“We’re going to have a hard time trying to handle him,” coach Matt Patricia said. “He runs really good routes. He has great change of direction. He can get vertically very quick. He understands zone coverage — he can sit down and find the open space — and he has great hands. So definitely will be a big issue for us.”GOLDEN’S GONEThough Johnson caused the Vikings secondary plenty of problems over his nine years in the league, Golden Tate did his share of damage, too.In the first four wins by the Lions over the Vikings since Zimmer was hired in 2014, twice in his first year and twice in 2016, Tate totaled 228 yards and two touchdowns on 30 catches while being targeted 38 times. That included his game-winning somersault into the end zone in overtime in Minnesota in 2016, after Vikings standouts Xavier Rhodes and Harrison Smith missed their attempts to tackle him.Last season, the Vikings limited Tate to just seven receptions for 36 yards over their two matchups. Now he’s gone http://www.jetsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-trevon-wesco-jersey , having been traded to Philadelphia .“I was surprised about that. He was their main guy on third downs. He was great with yards after the catch,” Rhodes said, adding: “It was one of those situations where you were like, ‘Oh, let me check MY phone.'”GRIFFEN GETTING GOINGVikings defensive end Everson Griffen, who has 7½ sacks in eight games against the Lions since becoming a starter in 2014, made his season debut last week after missing five games to seek mental health treatment. Griffen played 37 of 53 snaps against New Orleans.“My No. 1 goal is just to keep on going out there and knocking the rust off more and more each day, but I’m feeling good,” Griffen said.GAME ON THE GROUNDAfter finishing last, third-to-last and last in the NFL in rushing over the previous three years, the Lions have revived their long-languishing ground game with the arrival of rookie Kerryon Johnson. With an average of nearly 110 yards per game, they’re 16th in the league this week.“It’s mostly what the offensive line’s doing. No matter how good a running back is, he needs the offensive line, period Clelin Ferrell Jersey ,” Vikings defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson said. “Ain’t too many Barry Sanders in the league.” Jaguars running back T.J. Yeldon hasn’t started a game in nearly two years, a frustrating stretch that forced him to work harder and be more patient.He always felt like he would get another shot. He didn’t expect it to be this week.But with Leonard Fournette missing practice because of a strained right hamstring, Yeldon is getting the majority of practice repetitions and preparing to carry the load Sunday against the New England Patriots (1-0).“Whenever my number is called, I’ll always be ready to get into a rhythm and go,” Yeldon said. “I really don’t have a problem with that.”More Jacksonville Jaguars newsJaguars expect DE Yannick Ngakoue’s holdout to be short-livedJaguars rookie safety Zedrick Woods submits retirement paperworkJalen Ramsey says Jaguars don’t plan to give him contract extension this seasonJaguars sign former UCF running back Taj McGowan for added depthJaguars QB Nick Foles to miss OTAs for undisclosed ‘personal reason’While many outsiders believe there’s a huge drop-off from Fournette to Yeldon, the Jaguars (1-0) insist there’s only a marginal difference between the two. It’s a big reason the old-school, run-first team kept only three running backs — Fournette, Yeldon and change-of-pace speedster Corey Grant — on the 53-man roster.Fournette tweaked his hamstring in the first half of Jacksonville’s season opener at the New York Giants. He sat out practice Wednesday, and coach Doug Marrone said the plan is for him to do the same Thursday.Marrone said Fournette will go through tests Friday to see whether he’s able to play in a rematch of the AFC championship game.Jacksonville is likely to be cautious with Fournette, the centerpiece of the team’s offense. The fourth overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft, Fournette ran for 1,040 yards and nine touchdowns last season. He also caught 36 passes for 302 yards and a score.Fournette ran nine times for 41 yards against the Giants. Yeldon had 51 yards on 14 carries and caught three passes for 18 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown late in the second quarter.Marrone praised Yeldon for the strides he’s made.“He has always been good,” Marrone said. “I think he is more explosive. He’s stronger. He’s elusive. I think he can carry a load of carries. I just think he has done a nice job. I really do.”Yeldon has reason to take advantage of his opportunities. A second-round pick from Alabama in 2015 http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-josh-jacobs-jersey , Yeldon is in the final year of his $5.9 million rookie contract.Jacksonville is prepared to lose Yeldon in 2019 free agency, believing another team will be able to offer him a starting job or at least more carries.Yeldon said he’s “not too much worried about that,” adding “it’ll play itself out.” But he’s clearly planning for the future. He dropped weight in the offseason, getting below 220 pounds for the first time since his college days, and hopes to show he’s a three-down back.“I feel better, lighter, quicker, faster, more explosive,” he said. “I feel like it makes a big difference. I can cut better. I’m doing a lot of things better. I feel more comfortable this way.”The Jaguars hope it shows on the field. With Fournette uncertain to play, Yeldon could end up in a featured role.It’s a spot he didn’t expect. It’s also a position coaches and teammates say he can handle and prove to doubters there’s not much of a dip from Fournette.“That’s their fault,” receiver Keelan Cole said. “That’s on them. If they want to think that, just tell them to tune into the game.”