Fresh off the first NFC Defensive Player of the Week award of his career, Xavier Rhodes is fresh on the minds of the Lions.

Minnesota and Detroit square off in a Thanksgiving Day game on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. (CT) in a battle of 6-4 teams.

You can bet the Lions will keep an eye on Rhodes, who had two interceptions Sunday against Arizona. Rhodes returned one of them 100 yards for a score in Minnesota's 30-24 victory over the Cardinals.

"He's been playing well since he's been in the league. Every time we face him, he's one of those guys where you have to know where he is," said Lions Head Coach Jim Caldwell. "He can run, he's tough, competitive.

"Obviously he can catch, and obviously he's fast with that 100-yard return that he had the other day," Caldwell added. "He's a very, very capable guy and loves to play the game and plays it with great passion."

Lions wide receiver Golden Tate could be matched up against the former first-round pick on Thursday. Tate said he knows the 60-minute battle with Rhodes will be a challenge.

"I think Xavier is playing at a high level these past few weeks," Tate said. "He's stepped up to these number-one-type receivers — some of the best guys in the league — and done his part playing good sound football.

"It's hard to deal with a cornerback that's fundamentally sound along with the athleticism and speed he has," Tate added. "It's going to be a great challenge, but we look forward to it."

Here are some highlights of what the Lions said about the Vikings this week:

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford on first-place in the NFC North being up for grabs:

"It's a division game at our place on Thanksgiving; there's no getting around that," Stafford said. "I expect it to be an awesome atmosphere; both teams are playing at a high level."

Detroit safety Glover Quin on trying to limit Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs:

"That's the thing about him; he's a dynamic receiver. He gets a lot of targets and catches a lot of passes; we just can't allow him to have those big plays."