Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions finally cashed in on their first win of the season on Sunday in a thriller over the Minnesota Vikings. The game hung in the balance all afternoon and came down to the final play of the game.
The monkey has been lifted off Lions’ back. At least they won’t be going winless this year. Here are five numbers that tell the story of Detroit’s victory over the Vikings.
296
Campbell finally unleashed quarterback Jared Goff instead of going with the same vanilla scheme that has plagued the Lions for weeks. The result was a super-efficient day passing the ball against the Vikings’ secondary.
Goff threw for 296 yards, the most he’s had since a Week 4 loss to the Chicago Bears (299). What had been an offense with zero flare and 100% predictability was not anything close to that against Minnesota.
Even with a wide receiver group that sometimes leaves a lot to be desired, Goff made it work on Sunday, carving up Mike Zimmer’s secondary. It was clear that Campbell’s game plan wasn’t sustainable to a team that already lacks talent over the last month. He realized that and decided to throw his chips in the middle of the table and let Goff cook. It paid off this time.
3 for 11
Detroit is 24th in the NFL in penalties per game, averaging nearly seven per contest. On Sunday, they had only three for 11 yards.
Keep in mind, this is a Lions team that was buried in flags against the Bears on Thanksgiving in what was an embarrassing performance on national television. Detroit has shot themselves in the foot all season long, and it has always seemed to happen at the most critical moments when they either need to make a play or get a stop.
Against Minnesota, it was evident that this group had an extra layer of focus in staying disciplined. Conversely, the Vikings had seven flags thrown in their direction for 66 yards. It proved to be one of the more lopsided categories in the game and played a factor in Detroit never going away on Sunday.
9 for 12
On the game’s final drive, with the Lions needing a touchdown to win, Goff orchestrated a 14-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a touchdown pass to rookie Amon-Ra St. Brown with no time left on the clock.
Excluding to spikes to stop that clock on that drive, Goff went 9 for 12 and wisely took exactly what Zimmer’s defense was giving him.
What was bizarre is that Goff had trouble dealing with extra rushers for most of the afternoon. But Zimmer played it way too conservatively on that last drive, and Goff only saw four rushers. He sat back, dissected what was in front of him, and constantly found open receivers.
It looked easy for Goff and the offense as they bit off little chunks down the field before finding the end zone. It was a dicey decision by Minnesota to sit back in coverage and not blitz on that drive, one that will haunt Vikings fans moving forward.
20
Minnesota led 6-0 after the first quarter on a pair of field goals from Greg Joseph. In the second quarter, the Lions would respond viciously by hanging 20 on the Vikings.
Let’s not forget, this is a Detroit Lions team that had scored more than 20 points only one time the entire year, and that was the season opener against the San Francisco 49ers. The fact that they posted a crooked 20 number in just the second quarter was a shell-shocking development for Minnesota’s defense. Hell, it surprised plenty of Lions fans as well.
The second quarter was the pivot point in the game. The Lions were trailing 6-0 and thoughts of here we go again resounded. The offense responded with by far their best individual quarter of the season.
10 for 86
Rookie wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown had 12 total receptions over his last three games combined. He became Goff’s favorite target against Minnesota, racking up ten receptions for 86 yards and the game-winning touchdown.
The first-year player out of USC amassed 12 targets, and he had four catches for 37 yards and the touchdown on the final drive. Goff repeatedly went back to St. Brown in the most significant moments of the game.
Detroit will hope to use this performance as a launching pad for the rookie to continue rising as one of the emerging young players on this team that the Lions can build around.
