Lions just got excellent news about Vikings ahead of Week 9

The Detroit Lions earned a much-needed bye week in Week 8, while the rest of the NFC North continues to hammer away at their standing in the division. The Green Bay Packers won their highly anticipated bout against the Aaron Rodgers-led Pittsburgh Steelers, but the Chicago Bears lost their game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Helping Detroit even more, the Minnesota Vikings lost their Thursday night contest against the Los Angeles Chargers earlier in the week.

This leaves the Lions in a close battle for first place with the Packers, and the Vikings and Bears just scrambling to stay alive in the race. While Detroit won't get their next shot at revenge against Green Bay until Week 13, they have a chance to increase their lead on the Vikings this coming week. And, Minnesota might've just made that a whole lot easier to do with their latest injury update on J.J. McCarthy.

Vikings set to start McCarthy vs. Lions in Week 9

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, McCarthy is set to get his first start back from an ankle injury suffered earlier in the season against one of the best defenses in the NFL. Rapoport says in his reporting that the Vikings wanted to be sure that McCarthy was actually 100% healthy before throwing him back out into the fire, and what a fire Minnesota is choosing to toss him back into.

Detroit's defense is currently allowing just 300 yards per game, and only 87.7 rushing yards per game. That means that Minnesota will have to get their points in the air, which was proven to be next to impossible even for Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offense.

READ MORE: Lions set to get sneaky boost as overlooked defender nears return from injury

The Vikings' first two contests with McCarthy under center left much to be desired, with him posting a 2:3 TD:INT ratio, 301 total passing yards, and a passer rating of just 67.2. Carson Wentz had been filling in for McCarthy since he suffered that injury after those two games, but he recently went down with what looked to be a shoulder injury during TNF.

Minnesota clearly has a ton of faith in their young quarterback, but it's going to be tough to imagine that he bounces back right away against a defense like the Lions'. While injuries continue to plague their secondary, it became clear in Week 7 that their next man up mentality is likely the strongest in the league. Don't discount Detroit's ability to lock down the Vikings' key weapons on offense like Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.

McCarthy will also have to hope that his offensive line can hold up against Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeill, and the rest of the Lions' resurgent pass rushing crew. Minnesota's pass block win rate sits at 59%, which is 22nd in the league.

Detroit's pass rush win rate is at a measly 26%, but they were electric in Week 7 with a PRWR of 68.6%. If they can maintain that against Minnesota, McCarthy might have a rough go of it as he looks to get comfortable again post-injury.