The Minnesota Vikings shocked the NFL on Sunday, taking down the Detroit Lions in a thrilling 27-24 victory.
The Vikings looked to get their embarrassing performance against the Los Angeles Chargers behind them as they played their second divisional game of the season. J.J. McCarthy returned to the field after an extended absence and starting his third-ever NFL game in his return to Michigan, where he played college football.
The Lions’ offense started out hot, after getting into a fourth-down situation early and scoring a touchdown on it, with Sam Laporta dragging defenders from 40 yards out. The Minnesota offense was clicking, though, and took a 14-7 lead on touchdown passes to Justin Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson.
The Lions responded by returning a short Ryan Wright punt to their 44-yard line, converting on fourth down again, and eventually tying the score on a David Montgomery TD.
The Vikings regained the lead with a 50-yard field goal to make it 17-14 in the second quarter and looked like they would extend their margin until a controversial Lions interception gave them the ball back.
But in the second half, the Vikings would extend the lead by seven when McCarthy scrambled into the end zone from eight yards out.
Detroit would try to make it a four-point game, but Levi Drake Rodriguez blocked the field goal attempt and Isaiah Rodgers returned it, which turned into a six-point swing when Will Reichard nailed another FG on the ensuing possession.
The Lions managed to narrow the gap to three points with 1:55 to go via a deep shot to Jameson Williams. Despite Detroit’s threat of tying things up late, McCarthy sealed the win on a gutsy pass to Jalen Nailor on third-and-five.
Here are five numbers that tell the story of the Vikings’ upset victory in Detroit.
1,428
The Vikings had their first lead at Ford Field since Week 13 of 2021, 1,428 days ago.
While the early 2000s and most of the 2010s saw this divisional matchup heavily tilted in Minnesota’s favor, the Lions have dominated it in the 2020s. The last time the Vikings led at Ford Field was their last-second loss to the Lions in 2021, which kick-started the Dan Campbell era.
Although Kevin O’Connell is considered one of the best young head coaches in the NFL, the Lions have consistently gotten the better of O’Connell and the Vikings. However, things looked different on Sunday. After the first drive, the Vikings found a rhythm in the first quarter, getting their first lead in Detroit since the Mike Zimmer era, after over 192 minutes of game time in that building.
2
The Lions scored two touchdowns when facing fourth down.
It started on the opening drive when it looked like Minnesota’s defense might have found a way off the field. The Vikings forced fourth down on Detroit’s first drive, but the Lions’ offense scored from 40 yards out when Goff found Sam LaPorta in the middle of the field. He easily picked up the first down and dragged a horde of Vikings defenders into the end zone for seven points.
The Lions again showed their willingness to take risks, going for it on fourth-and-one near the goal line, punching it in to make it a 14-all game. The Lions would also extend another drive, getting a fourth down through LaPorta in the middle of the fourth quarter.
Considering how poorly Minnesota’s defense has been since the bye, they needed every stop they could get to keep pace. Despite the poor defense on fourth down, Minnesota’s defense held the Lions to three three-and-outs in a half for the first time in 357 days. Imagine just how much better the scoreline could have been if the defense had been as stout on fourth down as it was on third.
The Vikings have struggled on fourth down over the last couple of games. In Week 7, the Philadelphia Eagles scored on fourth down on their opening drive when A.J. Brown beat Josh Metellus in coverage. Even later in the game, they extended drives that looked to be dead with fourth-down conversions. The defense needs to figure out how to seal the deal after stifling opponents on third down.
2/6
Jared Goff and the Lions struggled to figure out Minnesota’s blitz in the first half, going two of six for just 14 yards on eight blitzes. Before the season, Goff had been one of the most successful quarterbacks in the NFL when facing Brian Flores’ exotic defensive looks. However, Goff looked off-kilter when facing the blitz on Sunday.
Strangely, the defense blitzed a little less than in previous years, but with greater efficiency. The linebackers exploited the inexperience of Detroit’s interior offensive line. Ivan Pace Jr, Eric Wilson, and Blake Cashman repeatedly blew up plays in the first half.
More than anything, it looked like the pressure threw Goff off early. He looked hesitant to step up into the pocket and make throws that he has routinely made. Multiple times when Goff would have his men open, he would either under or overthrow them, leading to issues in later downs.
2
Tavierre Thomas had two massive flags on special teams in the fourth quarter. As the Lions cut it to a one-score game, it looked for a moment like the Vikings had extended their lead through another Myles Price spectacular return. This excitement was short-lived as a flag deep in Vikings territory confirmed everyone’s worst fear: a holding penalty that turned a potential 14-point lead into first-and-10 at the 26.
Later, after that drive had stalled out, it looked like Ryan Wright had made a solid kick to lead Kalif Raymond out of bounds. Instead of the Lions getting the ball deeper in their own territory, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty gifted them a free 15 yards in a game where the defense had been stellar. While the kicking aspect of the special teams has been on their P’s and Q’s all season, these flags on returns and kick coverage have hindered the team.
0
McCarthy has lost zero games in the state of Michigan in his collegiate and NFL career. McCarthy was the most successful quarterback in Michigan history, going 27-1 during his time there, only losing in the Rose Bowl to TCU. Again, in a familiar location, McCarthy came up big when his team needed him the most.
In some ways, this game was this Vikings regime getting a monkey off their back, as for the first time in almost two months, since they had their desired starter at QB and 80% of their projected starting offensive line playing. While the offense was still far from perfect, they showed tons of improvement from when Wentz was under center.
Kevin O’Connell and his crew have finally gotten the better of Dan Campbell and snapped a five-game losing streak vs the Lions — not to mention winning in Ford Field for the first time in KOC’s tenure as Vikings head coach.
