Welcome back:
J.J. McCarthy
Christian Darrisaw
Brian O’Neill
Andrew Van Ginkel
For the first time this season, the Vikings fielded the team that made me so optimistic about this season. The offense isn’t the Vikings offense without tackles Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill. The defense isn’t the Vikings defense without outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel. Then there’s J.J. McCarthy. He left some plays out there. He threw a few high to wide open receivers. Despite those plays, he was very, very good. If this game against the Lions is his baseline, and I believe it is, the Vikings have their quarterback of the present and many years to come. If McCarthy can continue this sort of play, the Vikings will be a factor in the division and conference chase this season. The Lions are one of the favorites and the Vikings out-physicaled, out-fought, and beat them.
The Vikings got healthy at the right time as the Vikings needed this game.
Perhaps it’s a recency bias but this feels like the biggest Vikings win in years. Perhaps it’s their recent difficulties with the Lions. Perhaps it’s the pain of the last couple games. Dan Campbell, Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, especially Gibbs, Sam LaPorta, and a defense peppered with dirty players have routinely gotten better of the Vikings since that long ago win in 2022. Josh Metellus’s game-sealing interception of Goff feels so damn long ago. This win brings exhilaration and relief. I can finally breathe.
The McCarthy-led offense wasn’t explosive. It was just football. Good football. The Vikings offense was competitive on nearly every possession. They had just two three-and-outs. I was actually surprised there were even two. Their worst possession was at the end of the first quarter and start of the second. The game book will show that the Vikings ran three plays for -3 yards. T.J. Hockenson dropped a short, underneath third down pass that he might’ve taken for a first down. The second three-and-out followed the Myles Price kick return touchdown that was taken away by a ridiculous holding call. At worst, Tavierre Thomas had a pinch of a Lions jersey. The offense didn’t seem ready to take the field after celebrating what should’ve been a special teams touchdown. Fortunately, those possessions were outliers. They felt like the only instances all game the offense wasn’t ready to cut through the Lions defense and their legion of dirty players. The Vikings offense gained 258 total yards. That’s not a lot. It was an important 258 yards. Especially the final 16 yards. At the two-minute warning, the Lions had cut the Vikings lead to three points, 27-24, on a touchdown toss to Jameson Williams. The game felt in the balance for the first time since the first quarter. With the Lions holding all three timeouts, the Vikings had to convert a first down. This is a thing they haven’t often done in recent years. Too often, the Vikings have had to sweat out close wins rather than calmly closing them. On third-and-five, with 1:41 to play, head coach Kevin O’Connell let his young quarterback decide the game. McCarthy threw a beauty to Jalen Nailor for 16 yards. That first down toss allowed McCarthy to seal the win with three kneel-downs.
The difference in the game can be seen the team’s respective rushing performance.
Vikings:
29 carries
142 yards
4.9 yards/carry
Lions:
20 carries
65 yards
3.3 yards/carry
The Lions have a versatile offense. They can hurt a defense in many ways. It’s their run game with the dynamic duo of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery that sets up the versatility. Gibbs has been a particularly difficult player for the Vikings defense. Yesterday, he wasn’t.
Jahmyr Gibbs:
9 carries
25 yards
2.8 yards/carry
David Montgomery:
11 carries
40 yards
3.6 yards/carry
1 TD
Aaron Jones Sr. carried the Vikings run game initially.
9 carries
78 yards
8.7 yards/carry
Unfortunately, he left the game in the third quarter with a shoulder injury. It was Jordan Mason’s game after that. He wasn’t as explosive as Jones but he consistently gained tough yards.
10 carries
36 yards
3.6 yards/carry
It would’ve been nice to see him punch it into the end zone from a yard out with just over four minutes to play. That probably would’ve sealed the game and made for an even more comfortable final moments. Instead, he was stopped short on first down and O’Connell opted for a McCarthy pass on second down and a McCarthy option attempt on third down. From my comfy couch, I preferred Mason runs on second and third. Scoring was the most important thing and the Vikings settled for the short Will Reichard to provide the winning points.
Offense, defense, and special teams. The Vikings defeated the Lions in all phases of the game. In Detroit.
Next up for the Minnesota Vikings, a home date with the Baltimore Ravens.
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