The Minnesota Vikings took down the division rival Detroit Lions by a score of 28-24 on Sunday afternoon.
The game was played in four segments. The Lions won the first and third segments outscoring the Vikings 24-0. The Vikings won the second and fourth segments with 28 points and most importantly, won the endgame.
Kirk Cousins had a rough game against the Lions but came in clutch when it mattered the most throwing a 28-yard touchdown pass to K.J. Osborn to seal the deal.
Each group had its ups and downs and we graded them out here.
Offense: B-
The Vikings offense was twofold. They had four scoring drives in which they looked like a well-oiled machine. They were making calculated decisions, getting open on routes down the field and running the ball well. Cousins had his best drive when the game mattered the most leading the Vikings 58 yards in just 25 seconds for the go-ahead touchdown.
The issue for the offense is not being consistent whatsoever. Cousins struggled mightily delivering the football. Despite some quality offensive line play, the quality decision-making that Cousins is really good at was lacking. Receivers were also struggling to get open down the field in man coverage. That marks two weeks in a row that man coverage has given the team fits.
The running game finally became a priority. After we were complaining last year about the running game being too much of a focus, it was going in the other direction. The Vikings only ran 11 times on Monday night but maneuvered to a more balanced offense with 25 rushes for 123 yards on Sunday afternoon. Establishing the run with the pass is going to be key for the Vikings offense moving forward.
Defense: B
The Vikings defense is a weird unit to decipher. While they are tied for 10th in points allowed with 18.33 PPG, they are 30th in yards allowed at 413.33 YPG. The model of bend-don’t-break has lived up to it’s name thus far. They have also forced four turnovers on the season.
The Vikings defense has also been average in terms of committing penalties having committed only 17 all season making them tied for 15th. One area where they aren’t average is allowing points in the fourth quarter. For the third-straight game, the defense didn’t allow a single point in the fourth quarter.
The run defense was overall productive. The Lions were coming into the game averaging 4.6 yards per carry before contact. On 35 carries, the Lions shrunk down to the league average of 4.4 yards.
The biggest struggles this team saw were in the passing game and on fourth down. They allowed Amon-Ra St. Brown to run free on a crossing route that set up the Lions first touchdown on a fourth-and-five early in the game. Quarterback Jared Goff was a calculated passer all game. He found open receivers consistently and was making precise throws down the field.
The Vikings didn’t sack Jared Goff on Sunday, but they did have seven passes defended and 18 pressures.
On Sunday, these came to fruition. They allowed 416 yards in the game on Sunday and got pressure on Goff consistently. If they can continue that, the bend don’t break model will keep working.
Special teams: C+
This wasn’t a banner day for special teams. They did a good job overall on covering returns but the big issues were with both Greg Joseph and Jalen Reagor.
One of the issues that Reagor had in Philadelphia was that he muffed punts. He muffed multiple punts for the Eagles and had one in this game. Luckily, it didn’t end up harming the Vikings but not a great sign for a player the Vikings paid a decent premium for.
Joseph missed his first two field goals on the season on Sunday with both of them from 56 yards. He hit that same kick against the Green Bay Packers and missing it on two occasions against the Lions is frustrating. One of those kicks was not even close. It was disappointing to see Joseph miss both of those kicks when they were indoors.
Coaching: B
The Vikings ended up getting a huge divisional win having won their first two NFC North games at home. This sets them up really well as the season progresses. As far as the coaching is concerned, there is a lot to like and be concerned with.
The offensive play calling both gave them opportunities and limitations. Too often the Vikings were running plays that looked like the end of the John DeFillipo era. Cousins isn’t a go 5-wide and play an air raid style system. On their first touchdown drive, they threw four-consecutive times inside the 10 yard line. Would definitely like to see the run mixed in more in goal-to-go situations. The plus side is that seemed to be remedied later on with the Cook and Mattison touchdown runs.
On defense. it would be nice to see the scheme help generate some pressure. Mike Zimmer had a run-down defense and still found a way to get 51 sacks on the season. This year, the Vikings have 7.0 sacks which puts them on pace for 40 sacks. Helping the line generate pressure will help the secondary and put more looks on the tape to keep the offense guessing.
