The Vikings defeated the Lions 24-9. The game wasn't that close. The Vikings dominated the game because the defense dominated the game. The defense sacked Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford 10 times. The main reason the Lions have been such a pest recently is Stafford. If his team needed late game heroics he provided them. If his team needed mistake-free play he made no mistakes. The Vikings pass rush didn't let Stafford do any of the things his team needed him to do. The 10 sacks were a Vikings team record. Stafford could never get comfortable as he was sacked, hit, or harassed on nearly every snap. He even turned the ball over when he attempted an ill-advised pitch while running for his life. The ball ended up on the ground rather than in the hands of a Lion. Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter scooped it up and returned it 32 yards for a touchdown.
Some of the Lions offensive numbers:
209 total yards
3.0 yards/play
2.8 yards/rush
3.1 yards/pass
and then there's those 10 sacks
The Minneapolis Star Tribune put together this little sack breakdown:
| Danielle Hunter | 3.5 |
| Tom Johnson | 2.5 |
| Everson Griffen | 1.5 |
| Mackensie Alexander | 1 |
| Stephen Weatherly | 1 |
| Sheldon Richardson | 0.5 |
Sack by Sack
|
The sacks came in bunches but when a team collects 10 of them they often do.
When the Lions tried to get tricky in an effort to get something going the Vikings defense put a quick end to it. It looked like the Lions were attempting a Flea Flicker but Stephen Weatherly came off the edge and corralled LeGarrette Blount in the backfield before he could flick the flea back to Stafford. It was like that all game for the Lions. Even when the score was 7-6 it didn't feel like they were posing a real threat.
The Vikings offense even handed the Lions a couple turnovers but the Lions offense couldn't take advantage. The Lions couldn't get anything going.
While it was the defense that made it possible for the Vikings to cruise to this important division win the offense did more than just show up for a game. 17 points is slight. 283 total yards is a modest total. 128 rushing yards is nice. 155 passing yards isn't so nice. The offense had done all that it really needed to do before the first half was done.
The best thing to happen to the Vikings offense was the return of running back Dalvin Cook. He's been nursing a hamstring injury since Week 2. The Vikings have missed his explosion and versatility. He showed that explosion on a 70 yard burst to the Lions five-yard line. Two plays later and the Vikings had their second touchdown. Next Gen stats had Cook exceeding 22 mph on that long run. It's fairly to safe to say that his hamstring looks healed. That's a very good thing.
It's no stretch to say that the job of the Vikings defense got easier when the Lions traded receiver Golden Tate to the Philadelphia Eagles at last week's trade deadline. Tate was on track for his fifth consecutive 90-catch season and his fourth 1000-yard season. He's been Stafford's top target since he joined the team in 2014. The Lions have been a thorn in the Vikings side recently and Tate has been a big reason for it. Maybe he wasn't in the team's plans in the coming years but he sure was part of the offensive plans this year. The Lions were in the thick of the NFC North title chase. Without Tate, they take several steps away from that chase. Nothing about this trade made sense for the Lions.
I liked linebacker Jarrad Davis in the 2017 NFL Draft. The Lions grabbed him in the first round to be the leader of their defense. Maybe he is, or becomes, their team leader but he sure looked like an ass yesterday. After Kirk Cousins dove up the middle to convert a first down for the Vikings Davis threw a few punches at Cousins' back/shoulder while he was face down in the turf. Nice. A little later, Lions defensive tackle Damon Harrison put an immediate stop to a Dalvin Cook run up the middle. As Harrison had Cook stood up Davis teed the Vikings back up with a helmet to helmet hit. I could've sworn that eliminating such things was a point of interest for the league. That linebacker that I liked in the 2017 NFL Draft is an ass.
Speaking of Harrison. He's a difference-making wall in the middle of the Lions defensive line. How the Lions add him to their defense one week and subtract Tate from their offense the next is a mystifying strategy.
The Vikings promoted receiver Chad Beebe from the practice squad on Friday. As an undrafted rookie out of Northern Illinois he showed a lot of promise in training camp. Apparently he's continued showing that promise while on the Vikings practice squad. The defensive backs were having issues covering him in practices. The team decided it was time for the defensive backs on other teams to have issues covering him in real games. The Vikings were also a little short at receiver with Stefon Diggs out with a rib injury. Beebe had three catches for 21 yards in his NFL debut yesterday. One of those catches converted a fourth down on the game-opening touchdown drive. He likely has a role in the offense even when Diggs returns to the field. Beebe is listed at 5'10" and 183 lbs. He looks about half that size.
Speaking of little fellas, former Vikings corner Antoine Winfield was tapped to blow the Gjallarhorn before the game. It was great to see him. Winfield is one of my favorite all-time Vikings. He was such a great football player and so much fun to watch.
The win over the Lions bumps the Vikings record to 5-3-1. The tie hacks up the math but they are a whisper behind the 5-3 Chicago Bears for the NFC North lead. The Vikings have their bye next week. Upon return from the needed break they travel to Chicago. Big game.
It wasn't all great news for the Vikings yesterday. The team announced that former fullback Bill Brown has died. He was 80. Brown was one of the team's first offensive standouts in the 1960s and one of the best football players in franchise history. My condolences to the Brown family.
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