The Minnesota Vikings won a closely-contested game over the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon. The game began with ominous overtones of the Monday night debacle in Week 2, when the Vikings’ defense looked porous, and the offense could not get much started.
But the momentum changed in the second quarter. The offense started chewing up yardage, and the game was knotted 14-14 by halftime.
The Vikings’ offense was slow to open the third quarter, and the defense couldn’t stop Detroit’s sustained drives. Dalvin Cook ran into guard Ezra Cleveland, injuring himself and turning the ball over. They fell behind again.
It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that the Vikings cut the deficit to three after Alexander Mattison ran the ball into the end zone with eight minutes remaining. With under two minutes left, Lions kicker Austin Seibert pushed a 54-yard field goal attempt wide right, giving the Vikings’ offense a chance to tie or take the lead.
On the next drive, Kirk Cousins found receiver K.J. Osborn for a 28-yard touchdown with 45 seconds left to give them their first lead of the day. Josh Metellus finished the game with an interception in his first career start, picking off Jared Goff on a desperate deep throw.
Here are five numbers that tell the story of the Vikings’ win over the Lions.
4/6
The Vikings’ defense could not get off the field. They were effective enough on third down, but Detroit’s offense went 4/6 on fourth down. They had to know this would likely be from Dan Campbell‘s self-consciously guts offense.
The Vikings got their first glimpse of this on Detroit’s second drive as Campbell left his offense on the field on a fourth-and-five from Minnesota’s 32. Goff hit his favorite target, Amon-Ra St. Brown, on a simple crossing route. St. Brown zoomed upfield to the two-yard line.
Minnesota’s defense could not pick up what Detroit’s offense was doing on most of their fourth-down plays and could not stop the Lions whenever they got to fourth-and-manageable. These days, coaches are keeping the offense on the field on fourth down, and the Vikings’ defense will need to get much better at finishing the job.
134
The Lions successfully limited Justin Jefferson to 14 yards. The Vikings had to rely on K.J. Osborn and Adam Thielen, who combined for 134 yards.
When Kevin O’Connell came to town, the broad assumption was that Thielen and Osborn would be involved much more with his increased usage of 11 personnel. Instead, Thielen and Osborn had been notably absent to start the season. This was fine in Week 1 when Jefferson carried the load for the entire receiving corps. But Thielen and Osborn needed to step up with teams focusing so heavily on Jefferson.
This week, they did. Both could capitalize on the Lions’ secondary’s extra attention paid to Jefferson. The two combined for 11 catches, each getting one score through the air. With defenses still looking to take away Jefferson, Thielen and Osborn will need to take advantage of the favorable coverages they face.
0
The Vikings’ defense showed their ability to adjust to conditions. They allowed 0 points to the Lions in the fourth quarter and have allowed no scoring in the fourth quarter in any of their last three games. We all remember this defense’s woes in end-of-game situations; defending in the clutch was one of Minnesota’s most significant liabilities last season.
Well, the defense has been able to fix whatever stymied them in pressure situations last year. They have left much to be desired in the first half in the previous two games, but you can’t deny they’ve been good at making adjustments. So far, to start the year, they have allowed just 17 points in the second quarter.
5
Za’Darius Smith was a frequent guest in the Lions’ backfield, recording five pressures. Failure to pressure the quarterback was the biggest problem the Vikings had in their poor showing against the Philadelphia Eagles. Despite having both Smith and Danielle Hunter on the field, Minnesota looked like they did the last two seasons when they were without premier edge rushers.
Smith started to ramp up in the second half against Detroit. He made important plays at critical moments and helped get the Lions’ offense off the field. Though best known as a pass-rusher, Smith was also impressive against the run. He dropped former teammate Jamaal Williams in the backfield for a crucial stop as the Lions were looking to ice the game. What stood out to me is how Smith toughed out an injury near the end of the game.
0
Christian Darrisaw was exceptional in pass protection this week, allowing zero pressures. Darrisaw played all 42 pass plays and kept Cousins free of pressure on his blind side. While the offensive line didn’t have a great game, they took a step up from last week when the Eagles’ defense overmatched them.
However, this might have been one of Darrisaw’s easier weeks in the NFL. He wasn’t up against one of the premier pass rushers. Perhaps this game will help him build confidence. Next week, he has a tall task in London as he must keep the edge safe against Cameron Jordan.
