The Minnesota Vikings came into Sunday’s game needing a win over the Detroit Lions. They unfortunately couldn’t get it done, losing by a score of 30-20.
The first half was a tough one for the Vikings, as they outgained the Lions 202-154 in the first half but were down 13-6 at halftime. The catalyst for the Vikings was quarterback Nick Mullens. He was firing the ball all over the field and put the Vikings in a position to win the game. It was also his gunslinger mentality that cost the Vikings a chance to win, as he threw an interception to Cam Sutton with less than four minutes remaining and another to C.J. Gardner-Johnson shortly after. Mullens finished 30-of-44 for 396 yards.
Justin Jefferson continued his dominance over the Lions with a massive game, including a 38-yard touchdown on fourth and 1. He became just the thrid player ever to reach 1,000 yards receiving in 10 or fewer games. He finished with 12 receptions for 192 yards and a touchdown.
The key to the game for the Vikings was to stop the Lions offense and they couldn’t do that in the slightest. The tackling was poor, communication in the secondary was not there far too often, and they couldn’t pressure Goff enough to impact the passing game.
They were able to get a couple of stops, but a 70-yard touchdown to Amon-Ra St. Brown with a massive coverage bust from Akayleb Evans and Joejuan Williams made the game feel like it was over. Jordan Addison did catch a 42-yard touchdown shortly after, but the Lions drove to go back up 10 points and never looked back.
The loss officially eliminates the Vikings from playoff contention. A win wouldn’t have mattered, as both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints both got wins on Sunday.
What’s next for the Vikings? Draft preparation and looking at what the team can do in free agency.
