This is not the ideal location for the Detroit Lions to end their losing streak, and it is doubtful that this would be the opponent Rod Marinelli and company would choose as a conduit to getting them over the winless hump on Sunday afternoon.

The Lions' recent history at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome has been dismal, and their exploits against the Minnesota Vikings haven't gone much better.

The last 10 times Detroit has visited the Twin Cities, it has traveled back to Motown as a loser. In fact, the Lions haven't won in the rapidly aging dome since way back in 1997, when running back Barry Sanders, quarterback Scott Mitchell, and head coach Bobby Ross helped pull off a 14-13 victory.

And, when you factor in the three-game losing skid that preceded that triumph, that makes Detroit 1-13 in Minnesota since the 1995 campaign. Ouch.

Not that playing the Vikings at Ford Field, or anywhere else for that matter, would make much of a difference. Since sweeping Minnesota in '97, the Lions are a jaw-dropping 3-17 against their longtime division rival, with the wins coming at home in 1999, 2001, and 2007.

Last year's Detroit triumph, a 20-17 overtime nail-biter, snapped a 10-game Vikes win streak in the series.

True to form, the Vikings exacted their revenge for that indignity with a 42-10 shellacking when the Lions visited the Metrodome in Week 13.

Brad Childress' current club, which is trying to pull itself off the mat following a 1-3 start, is looking for a similar beat-down this Sunday.

The Vikings somehow managed to come away with a 30-27 win at New Orleans this past Monday, outlasting the stumbling Saints in a game that saw running back Adrian Peterson (21 carries, 32 yards) held firmly in check while his Saints counterpart, Reggie Bush, found paydirt on a pair of second-half punt returns.

Four New Orleans turnovers, including a Bush fumble impacted by a blatant face mask penalty that went uncalled by the officials, helped Childress and company emerge victorious, as did two critical field goal misses by the Saints' Martin Gramatica.

Minnesota (2-3) enters Week 6 just a game back of the first-place Chicago Bears (3-2) in the NFC North.

The Lions (0-4), meanwhile, are one of four remaining winless NFL teams, joining the Houston Texans, Cincinnati Bengals, and St. Louis Rams.

Last Sunday's 34-7 home loss to the Bears was the team's 11th defeat in its last 12 games dating back to last season.

SERIES HISTORY

The Vikings hold a 61-30-2 lead in the all-time series with the Lions, including the aforementioned 42-10 rout when the teams met at the Metrodome in Week 13 of last season. As mentioned, in the first leg of the home-and-home a year ago, Detroit snapped a 10-game losing streak in the series with a 20-17 win at Ford Field in Week 2. Minnesota swept home-and-homes over Detroit in five straight seasons, from 2002 through 2006.

Childress is 3-1 against the Lions as a head coach, while Detroit's Marinelli is 1-3 against both the Vikings and Childress.

WHEN THE LIONS HAVE THE BALL

The quarterback trying to lead the Lions into the win column for the first time in 2008 might not be Jon Kitna (758 passing yards, 5 TD, 5 INT). Kitna, who has started all 36 games since coming to the Lions as a free agent in 2006, left the Bears game with back spasms and is listed as questionable on the Week 6 injury report. Dan Orlovsky (103 passing yards, 2 INT), who replaced him last Sunday, is also questionable with knee and ankle injuries. If both are unavailable, rookie and second-year-pro Drew Stanton (Michigan State) would see the first action of his career. Whoever does the throwing will look often to wideouts Roy Williams (15 receptions, 1 TD) and Calvin Johnson (19 receptions, 2 TD), both of whom have had their moments in 2008. Williams had seven catches for 96 yards last Sunday, but Johnson was shut down to the tune of two grabs for 16 yards. The Lions have gotten almost nothing going in the run game so far, with the number of large deficits the team has encountered contributing to that situation. Kevin Smith (133 rushing yards, 2 TD, 12 receptions) and Rudi Johnson (122 rushing yards) combined for 88 yards on 20 total touches versus Chicago.

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