7 takeaways from the Detroit Lions’ victory over the Minnesota Vikings

7 takeaways from the Detroit Lions’ win over the NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings.

The NFC North has been one of the best divisions in football, and the first tilt of the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings did not disappoint.

Last week, the Lions steamrolled the Dallas Cowboys in a laid-back affair. Against the then-undefeated Vikings, there was far more drama. After a crushing opening quarter, the Lions were on the ropes, but the offense and defense rebounded and catapulted themselves into the lead. The Vikings traded punches and even retook the lead late, but a clutch field goal sealed Detroit’s victory and spot atop the division.

The Lions walked away from this fight with a win, but much like the game itself, there were plenty of ups and downs. Let’s examine some takeaways.

First quarter from hell, second quarter from heaven

From utter disappointment to utter thrill, the Lions certainly had fans on an emotional roller coaster to start this game. A poor opening drive took a turn for the worse when a fake punt attempt went nowhere and gifted the Vikings premium field position that they would quickly capitalize on. Their ensuing drives were equally dreadful, and by the time the first quarter came to an end, the Lions were down just 10-0 but were clearly fighting themselves more than Minnesota. To make matters worse, running back David Montgomery suffered a bad-looking injury and his return was questionable.

The switch from the first to the second quarter clearly jump-started something for the Lions. The offense would go on to score 21 unanswered points , while the defense shut out the Vikings to enter halftime with a 21-10 lead. Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra “Slot Merchant” St. Brown tallied three touchdowns between them. Miraculously, Montgomery returned to the lineup as well.

Lions teams of the past, specifically under Matt Patricia, would have snowballed after their rocky initial start. They would have dug themselves an insurmountable hole. With this current iteration of the Lions, not only do they have the mental fortitude to exorcise their inner demons amidst a bad start, they also have an explosive offense to make up the deficit and a defense talented enough to prevent a runaway scoreboard. That being said…

Too many mistakes

The Lions came back from their early struggles, a feat worth praising, but it does not cover up the many mistakes that plagued them on Sunday.

The David Montgomery fumble-turned-touchdown will be at the forefront of the discussion, but penalties were the true turning problem for the Lions. The Lions were called for eight penalties in total, including the declined ones. The offensive line in particular struggled with calls, each starting lineman save Frank Ragnow incurring a flag on the day. Kayode Awosika, replacing Kevin Zeitler, had a rough start, notching three penalties in the first half.

As mentioned, the fake punt attempt on the opening drive was bold. Attempting such a play deep in their own territory on fourth-and-7 was a disaster waiting to happen. Even if they got a favorable look from the Vikings’ special teams, that is a position where punting is the unquestioned right decision—you could justify it if the distance was 3 yards or under, but seven yards is a sizable distance. The last thing you want is to give a rowdy Vikings crowd a reason to get loud early.

The Lions gifted Minnesota far too many yards and points, and it nearly wound up costing them the game.

Is anyone playing better football right now than Jared Goff?

The Jared Goff Most Valuable Player debate is growing:

Much was made about Goff’s literal perfect outing against the Seattle Seahawks, but his recent stretch of football has been near-perfect as well. Goff finished with yet another game with a sky-high completion percentage (88 percent) and rating (140.0). His yardage total is not unworldly, but this Lions offense does not need it to be. Goff is playing smart football, avoiding dangerous throws while working with the scheme and weapons around him. Even the best quarterbacks struggle to complete passes at the rate Goff is. He is playing at an elite level and there is no question he has been one of the most valuable players in the league.

Downfield blocking masterclass

For as good as the Lions’ offensive weapons are with the ball in their hands, they might be even better when the ball is out of their hands.

Blocking has always been a priority for this offense, and the Lions might have the best group of blocking skill players in the league. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery delivered some critical blocks in the passing game, both in the backfield and downfield. Amon-Ra St. Brown has been one of the best blocking receivers in the league, but the Lions are getting excellent contributions from Jameson Williams and Tim Patrick as well.

Patrick in particular deserves praise for his role on offense since joining the team. Not only is he filling the vacated role of Josh Reynolds in the passing game, but he is flourishing as a downfield blocker in the run and pass game. He earned himself a gold star for his picture-perfect block on Gibbs’ 45-yard scamper:

Reynolds was a great acquisition by Brad Holmes back in 2021, so it is only fitting that his replacement in 2024 is equally shining.

Surviving but not thriving without Hutchinson

The Lions were never going to replace Aidan Hutchinson, as barring a massive blockbuster trade, there is no way to adequately replace a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. The replacement strategy was going to involve a multitude of in-house options: Josh Paschal, Levi Onwuzurike, Isaac Ukwu, and many more.

The first week post-Hutchinson was a mixed bag. Contain seemed to be the name of the game, again to mixed success. Aaron Jones finished with 93 yards on 14 carries, though his 34-yard touchdown run was due to a misread by Terrion Arnold and not the defensive front. Sam Darnold had a few scrambles that were the results of lost contain or a missed sack. On the other hand, they did sack Darnold four times, courtesy of Josh Paschal, Malcolm Rodriguez, Jack Campbell, and Trevor Nowaske. It was a decent showing for Ukwu in his second career game, while James Houston had a far better game than his last appearance this season. Nowaske, in particular, is making a claim for a larger role on defense, now with sacks in back-to-back games while playing some solid linebacker.

The problem for the Lions is that Hutchinson is such a menace to opposing offenses that they have to scheme around him. Without him in the lineup, the Lions do not have the same firepower. There are not many players on this team that are consistently winning their reps and collapsing the pocket. Most of the pressure is courtesy of the interior, but there is only so much Alim McNeill and DJ Reader can do.

Brian Branch, future All-Pro

Entering the season, there was some nervous discussion about moving Brian Branch from nickel to safety. After such an impressive rookie season manning the slot, why change what was clearly working?

So far, it has been an upgrade.

The Lions lost a DPOY candidate in Hutchinson, but they might have another one in Branch. His play has been phenomenal to start the season, easily cementing himself as one of the best safeties and defensive backs in the NFL. He capped his Vikings game off with a beautiful interception and came inches away from a fumble return touchdown. He now has four interceptions on the year to add to his stellar coverage and run defense.

The Lions nearly lost on another rulebook loophole

The Detroit Lions have been victims of many wild rulings, from the Calvin Johnson rule to the Golden Tate runoff to… the list goes on.

The Vikings were scrambling in the dying seconds to spike the ball after completing a pass with a running clock. They snapped the ball with one second left on the clock, but they were penalized for illegal formation since they were not properly set. End of game, right?

Not so fast.

Per the rule book, this play does not warrant a 10-second runoff, so the Vikings were gifted with one more Hail Mary attempt (that resulted in Nowaske’s sack). While the Lions managed to avoid another all-time heartbreaker, it nonetheless brings to light an incredibly broken loophole. What is stopping a team from sprinting a center and quarterback (or any two players) downfield and snapping the ball while the rest of the offense is a mile in the backfield? This is an absurd loophole in the current rulebook that needs to be addressed before it is further taken advantage of.