Kevin Patra’s takeaways:
- Lions defeat undefeated Vikings to close gap in NFC North. Detroit found the best way to combat Brian Flores’ incessant pressure: go to the ground. After falling behind 15-12, midway through the fourth quarter, Detroit ran the ball on 11 of its final 13 plays without kneeling. One of those two Jared Goff throws was the kickoff touchdown to Jameson Williams. Detroit relied on Jahmyr Gibbs and backup Sione Vaki. Gibbs rushed his way to 153 rushing yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, while Vaki had 11 totes for 65 yards. Detroit getting production from Vaki is a positive sign for the Lions down the stretch. The Lions were unable to pull away early, with errors hampering Dan Campbell’s side, including poor penalties. Goff missed passes early and threw his first interception of the season when Williams slipped on a route. Detroit only scored six points and Goff was sacked four times in two quarters. Then the running game took over, allowing the QB to use the play and wear down the Vikings D. It wasn’t a perfect game for the home team, but the offense woke up late when needed to close out a big win that brings the division even closer. This was a must-have home game for Detroit. Dan Campbell’s crew ultimately gained the upper hand.
- The Vikings’ offensive struggles continued. It was only a matter of time before Brian Flores’ defense could prevail. Minnesota played on the edge in its first six wins, with the defense spearheading the wins while the offense was in the mix. Against a powerful Lions offense, Flores’ defense did enough, forcing a turnover, early field goals and a crucial three-and-out late in the game. Yes, the defense ran out of gas against Jahmyr Gibbs late. But Kevin O’Connell’s offense needed to do more. Kyler Murray handled the game early, but missed too many throws, particularly high ones, leading to some stalled drives. Nearly a quarter of Murray’s 210 yards (24.3%) came on a 51-yard bomb to Jordan Addison. The QB missed several more shots. Right now, Murray is not a station-to-station passer. When big plays don’t connect, the Vikings offense struggles. Against a Lions defense that entered with the worst passing D in the NFL and allowing the most yards, Murray came up short. The Vikings generated just 266 yards and 15 first downs. Going 3 for 10 on third down and 0 for 1 on fourth down is not a winning offense. The KOC needs its offense to find itself at the start of a tough stretch of games. Right now, it’s not close.
- Detroit’s defense has strengthened. For the second week in a row, Kelvin Sheppard’s defense reached a new level. The defensive line, especially the interior, harassed Kyler Murray. Alim McNeill led the way with four QB pressures and a sack. The secondary did a better job of sticking to the Vikings receivers. Where we saw the WRs get wide open early in the season, Detroit’s secondary at least challenged on most plays. Cornerback DJ Reed had his best game, including a diving INT and a big late pass breakup before leaving with an injury. When the defensive line is under pressure and the secondary is playing on a tightrope, it’s a viable defense. The problem Sheppard now faces is that he lost a large number of players on Sunday. Star linebacker Jack Campbell was transported to a local hospital after suffering a neck injury. DJ Wonnum and Brian Branch each left with concussions after a collision. Rookie linebacker Jimmy Rolder suffered a hamstring injury. Reed’s was hip. Can an already fragile unit overcome injuries in the future?
Next-Gen Stats Preview for Lions-Vikings (via NFL Pro): The Vikings went 26 of 29 (89.7%) in their Week 8 loss to the Lions, the highest blitz rate by any team since at least 2018, breaking the previous record held by the Vikings set last week against the Colts (85.2%). When blitzed, Jared Goff completed 17 passes, tied for the most against the blitz in a game this season, for 130 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Goff was sacked a season-high three times on six pressures while blitzing.
NFL Research: Jahmyr Gibbs became the fifth player in NFL history before the age of 25 to total at least 1,000 yards from scrimmage and more than 10 touchdowns through his team’s first seven games of the season, joining Christian McCaffrey (2019), Edgerrin James (2000), Eric Dickerson (1983) and Jim Brown (1958).
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