PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) -- Detroit center Mike Compton shaves his head. It's the best way to disguise any gray he might be getting from NFL defenses.

Last week, Junior Seau terrorized the Lions' patched up offensive line. He had 12 tackles, two of them sacks, as the San Diego Chargers walked away with a 20-10 win.

This week, Compton and the Lions (2-2) contend with sack master John Randle and a bunch of angry Minnesota Vikings (2-3) in the Silverdome.

Randle has two sacks this season and 97 overall. And he always seems to thrive against Detroit. In last year's visit by the Vikings, Randle had two sacks to spark a 24-0 second half and a 34-13 comeback win.

"You just have to ignore him," Compton said. "He's going to make some plays, because he's a great player, but you just have to try to limit what he does."

The other thing Randle does is talk. Sometimes it's a bother to younger players. Sometimes it's even a bother to veterans such as Compton.

"Some guys talk back to him, but that's never been my game plan," Compton said. "He's funny, though. He's not nasty like those tapes of Lawrence Taylor where he tells guys he's going to tear off their head and rip out their spine.

"John's more comical. He's got some great one-liners, so you have to be careful not to get laughing. Rookies or newer guys might think he's crazy, or on something, but after a while, you catch on."

Because of injuries, only left tackle Ray Roberts and right guard Jeff Hartings have started and finished all four games at their respective positions on Detroit's offensive line. Compton is a guard who was shifted to center.

The shuffling coule be one reason Charlie Batch has been sacked 19 times.

Detroit's defense has taken some hits, too. Middle linebacker Stephen Boyd injured his right arch against the Chargers and will be replaced by Richard Jordan.

"We're banged up, that's for sure," Lions coach Bobby Ross said.

The Lions, who surprised everyone by winning their first two games despite the absence of Barry Sanders, have lost their last two.

Detroit's woes could be just what the Vikings need to get their game on track. Last week, the Chicago Bears turned five turnovers, including two fumbles by rookie tight end Jim Kleinsasser, into three touchdowns and a 24-22 triumph.

It wasn't until their eighth trip inside the Chicago 25 that the Vikings reached the end zone. This certainly isn't what folks expected from the team that went 15-1 last season.

"Things are different this year because teams have a better idea of how to stop us," Vikings quarterback Randall Cunningham said. "We're going through the blues, and we just have to keep working through it."

Cunningham's receivers all are calling for the ball. Fans in the Twin Cities are calling for Cunningham's head. After throwing 10 interceptions all of last year, he's been picked off eight times already this season. He's been playing on a sore hip since Week 1, but Cunningham says that's not the problem.

"Last year, we had the identity of the offense that everyone had to shoot for, and that's gone this year," Cunningham said. "We need to find a new identity."

If the expectations hadn't been so high, the Vikings' current identity might be just fine.

Consider that Batch, the second-year Detroit quarterback, has completed 54.4 percent of his passes for 878 yards and eight touchdowns. Fans in Detroit think Batch is solid. Cunningham, by comparison, has completed 61.6 percent of his passes for 1,397 yards and eight touchdowns _ yet fans in Minnesota want Jeff George.

"I've watched the films, and the Vikings can still really move the ball," Lions defensive end Luther Elliss said. "They just aren't clicking in the red zone right now.

"It looks like they are trying to do too much. That's natural when you are struggling a bit."

This 2-3 start is the Vikings' worst record after five weeks in coach Dennis Green's eight seasons. And it's all the more reason why veterans like Randle make the Lions nervous.

"He and Seau are both such explosive players," Ross said. "And now they have him playing a lot of end, so he's hard to find before the snap.

"He's not hard to find after it, though."

MINNESOTA Season schedule and results

DETROIT Season schedule and results

September 12 @Atlanta W 17-14 September 19 Oakland L 17-22 September 26 @Green Bay L 20-23 October 3 Tampa Bay W 21-14 October 10 Chicago L 22-24 October 17 @Detroit 1:00pm ET October 24 San Francisco 1:00pm ET October 31 @Denver 4:15pm ET November 8 Dallas 9:00pm ET November 14 @Chicago 1:00pm ET November 28 San Diego 1:00pm ET December 6 @Tampa Bay 9:00pm ET December 12 @Kansas City 8:20pm ET December 20 Green Bay 9:00pm ET December 26 @NY Giants 1:00pm ET January 2 Detroit 1:00pm ET

September 12 @Seattle W 28-20 September 19 Green Bay W 23-15 September 26 @Kansas City L 21-31 October 10 San Diego L 10-20 October 17 Minnesota 1:00pm ET October 24 @Carolina 1:00pm ET October 31 Tampa Bay 8:20pm ET November 7 St. Louis 1:00pm ET November 14 @Arizona 4:15pm ET November 21 @Green Bay 1:00pm ET November 25 Chicago 12:40pm ET December 5 Washington 1:00pm ET December 12 @Tampa Bay 1:00pm ET December 19 @Chicago 1:00pm ET December 25 Denver 4:15pm ET January 2 @Minnesota 1:00pm ET

Records source: STATS, Inc.

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