Vikings-Lions

Ultimately, the Minnesota Vikings took care of business in Detroit. They beat the Lions 27-9. At the start, it didn't look like it was heading in the that direction. For most of the first half  the Vikings were doing no business. The defense did well to limit the Lions to three field goals. The offense did nothing.

Vikings offense over the opening 26 minutes:

3 plays, 1 yard
3 plays, 6 yards
3 plays, -4 yards
3 plays, 1 yard

12 plays, 4 yards.

Against the Lions? That's sad. No offense.

Teams enter a game with a plan for the offense. Most have a script of plays. The Vikings first possession started on their own 1-yard line. Their third possession started on their own 13-yard line. The offensive plan, if not the entire script, is tossed with that sort of starting field position. Those are tough situations to do something but it's no excuse for doing nothing. The Vikings did nothing.

With four minutes to play in the first half the Vikings offense started moving the ball. On 3rd-and-17 from the Lions 49, Kirk Cousins connected with Adam Thielen for 40 yards. Two plays later, Cousins hit Stefon Diggs for an 8-yard score. Just like that, it's 9-7 with 1:32 remaining in the half. Despite a terrible start to the game the Vikings only trailed by 2. The half wasn't over. The Vikings got the ball back with 36 seconds left.

Two days before Christmas it simply seemed appropriate to see some good things from a tight end named Kyle Rudolph. With two seconds to play he caught a Hail Mary heave from Cousins for a 44-yard touchdown. That gave the Vikings a 14-9 halftime lead despite having done so little. There was still thirty minutes to play but the game felt like it was over.

Rudolph stats:
9 catches, 122 yards, 2 TDs

That performance, and his big halftime-ending catch, got Rudolph his very own postgame press conference.

In the second half, the Vikings defense kept the Lions on their side of the field and the offense added 13 points. The Lions never threatened and the Vikings efficiently added some points. 27-9 final.

The defense played well throughout the game. That was the difference in the game. With the offensive ineptitude to start the game the Lions could've led 17- or 21-0. The defense kept that from happening in keeping the Lions to three field goals. They didn't post flashy stats. No turnovers and only 3 sacks. They did have 12 tackles for loss. That's a fine number. The sack total pales considerably to the 10 that the Vikings posted against the Lions in Week 9. The Lions clearly didn't want a repeat as they shortened their routes and had Matthew Stafford throw quickly.

As with several Vikings wins under Mike Zimmer the defense prepped and cooked the meal and the offense cleared the table and cleaned the dishes. Or something like that.

The Vikings control their playoff hopes. They defeat the Chicago Bears at home next week and they are in the playoffs. They don't need any help. They just have to win.

They can't start games like they did yesterday. They also can't have 11 penalties like they did yesterday. Several of those 11 penalties negated good plays on offense or allowed the Lions to stay on the field. Penalties usually do that sort of thing. The Vikings are usually much more disciplined. They weren't against the Lions. They have to be disciplined moving forward. Every game is a playoff game now.