The Detroit Lions have not been competitive in their last three appearances at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Dalvin Cook ran roughshod on a shaky Lions defense, Detroit hardly looked competitive at any point in the game and the Vikings moved to 3-5 with a 34-20 win. Detroit threw three interceptions, the Vikings were opportunistic and they got to coast in a fourth quarter for the first time this season.
HOW’D THE OFFENSE DO?
It’s tough to criticize the Vikings’ offense in this one. They scored early to take an early lead, they scored going into halftime to build momentum and they scored early in the second half to put a stranglehold on the game. Cook was unstoppable against one of the league’s weakest run defenses, and Kirk Cousins carved the Lions apart with play-action as part of another efficient performance.
Cook was the main story again. After a 226-yard day against the Packers, Cook bested himself with 252 all-purpose yards, 206 on the ground and 46 through the air. His top highlight: A 70-yard touchdown jaunt where he broke a tackle near the line of scrimmage and accelerated past the Lions secondary.
BEST RB IN THE LEAGUE 😤
via @NFL | @dalvincook pic.twitter.com/QJLTK7fpMC
— FOX Sports North (@fsnorth) November 8, 2020
The Vikings spread the wealth to complement Cook’s big day. Irv Smith Jr. gathered two touchdown receptions, and Ameer Abdullah found the end zone for the second time as a Viking on a screen play.
Minnesota scored touchdowns on three of its first five drives, and four of its first six, reminiscent of their sharp performance in their Week 8 win over Green Bay. The Vikings lost the franchise record for yards per play on their final offensive play of the game, dipping them to 8.85. The record was 8.9.
HOW’D THE DEFENSE DO?
Well enough. It helped to be staked to a 13-0 lead in the first quarter, and the Vikings were able to allow underneath completions while defending deep against a short-handed Lions receiving corps. Chris Jones, the former Lion, was the latest defensive back to show up in Cornerback Roulette. He joined Kris Boyd and Jeff Gladney to hold the Lions passing game in check.
Eric Wilson and Eric Kendricks came up with big third quarter interceptions on two puzzling throws by Stafford with Detroit in scoring range. The Lions quarterback, who was quarantined on the COVID-19 reserve list, had the look of a player who didn’t practice all week. He was forced to exit in the fourth quarter after taking an incidental hit to the head that left him wobbly.
The Vikings won the take-give and didn’t allow big plays. That’s an acceptable formula after what Mike Zimmer witnessed in the first six games.
UNDER THE RADAR
The Vikings were brutal on special teams. Dan Bailey missed his first extra point of the year because of a low Austin Cutting snap, K.J. Osborn had poor returns in the both the kick return and punt return game, and Britton Colquitt had two punts blocked deep in his own territory.
The Lions couldn’t take full advantage, but it’s tough to imagine a team winning future games with that many special teams blunders. It may be a long week for Marwan Maalouf.
BIG PICTURE
At the season’s halfway point, the Vikings are still a long ways out of the playoff picture, but there are noticeable signs of improvement. Meanwhile, teams above them in the standings like Chicago and San Francisco are ailing.
It can all come crashing down with a loss at Chicago next week, but the Vikings can go into Soldier Field feeling like they have something meaningful to play for.
