On Sunday afternoon, the Minnesota Vikings proved they belonged in the conversation to be a Super Bowl contender. They went blow-for-blow with the Detroit Lions in a back-and-forth game. Both teams had a clear case to win the game, but when the dust settled, the Lions came out on top.
Fans dressed in Honolulu Blue gleefully left U.S. Bank Stadium, chanting “Jared Goff!” until their faces matched their jerseys. It was a great day to be a Lions fan. However, that may not be the case when the Vikings visit Detroit in Week 18.
The Vikings will be collecting a debt from the Lions after a game where Minnesota and Detroit appeared to be on the same level. They each nearly amassed 400 yards of offense. The Vikings and Lions averaged over seven yards per play. They each had a takeaway. And both teams had kickers who couldn’t miss.
It was the little things that didn’t go Minnesota’s way. Some of it was Sam Darnold's play. The league favorite for the MVP award two weeks ago had a solid game for 259 yards and a touchdown, but struggles with some of the subtler details kept him from having an even bigger day.
Darnold’s interception in the second quarter came when Aaron Jones leaked out on a flat route. With nobody in front of him, an explosive play was there for the taking. However, Darnold forced a pass to Jordan Addison.
The interception proved costly in a disastrous second quarter for the Vikings, who watched a 10-point lead evaporate to go into halftime down 21-10.
The loss isn’t on Darnold alone. Brian Flores’ defense waffled the Lions in front of a red-hot crowd in the first quarter. However, some communication issues led to a 45-yard touchdown by Jahmyr Gibbs and then a 35-yard touchdown to Amon-Ra St. Brown.
It was the kind of play that was frequent without Blake Cashman available; Goff hit the Vikings for 280 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Gibbs ran for 7.7 yards a carry. St. Brown appeared to be open the entire game. Whatever flamethrower Flores was using to counter Detroit’s fire just wasn’t cutting it.
The most fatal examples came in the closing minutes of the game. The Vikings fans' spidey sense had to be tingling when they couldn’t pick up a two-point conversion after Ivan Pace Jr.’s 36-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown. It buzzed even harder than Aaron Rodgers at an ayahuasca ceremony when Darnold missed Jefferson by the fingertips on a third-and-four that would have dramatically increased their chances of winning the game.
Instead, the Lions drove into Vikings territory, and Jake Bates kicked the winning field goal with 15 seconds remaining. However, there was plenty of time for one more gaffe; an illegal formation penalty put the Vikings out of “field goal range” for Will Reichard.
If not for the penalty, Reichard would have attempted a 68-yard field goal. But Reichard has been so good that it would have been fitting if a game-winning bomb had sailed through the uprights and shattered the glass panels at U.S. Bank Stadium. Instead, it felt like a game in which the Vikings lost more than Detroit won, leaving a feeling that they need to collect a debt at Ford Field.
There will be plenty of time to sort that out beforehand, but several elements could favor Minnesota. Cashman and T.J. Hockenson's return could give Minnesota a boost that may help them make some of these plays.
Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores also have time to go back to the drawing board, see what went wrong against the Lions, and adjust as they enter a four-game stretch in which their opponents have a combined 9-17 record, beginning with Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams.
But perhaps the biggest factor is that this team lets the little things eat at them in a good way.
When the Vikings obliterated the Green Bay Packers for the first 30 minutes, Flores reminded them about the comeback in the second half. When the Vikings escaped the New York Jets in London, Justin Jefferson looked ready to flip the podium over frustration at how the offense had played.
Even on Sunday, Josh Metellus noted that the Vikings fell well short of their standard, so they narrowly missed an impressive win over the Lions.
It’s these things that make it feel like there’s a debt that needs to be paid. With two months to file this loss in their mental folder, the Vikings will make sure that bill comes due when they visit Detroit in Week 18.
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