Inside The Vikings

5 things that stood out from Vikings' loss to the Lions

Detroit handed Minnesota its first loss of the season on Sunday.

Nolan O'Hara

Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) catches a 35-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jared Goff (not pictured) as Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. (7) defends during the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Oct. 20, 2024.
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) catches a 35-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jared Goff (not pictured) as Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. (7) defends during the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Oct. 20, 2024. / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
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The Vikings are unbeaten no longer.

Jake Bates' 44-yard field goal with 15 seconds remaining lifted the Detroit Lions to a 31-29 victory over the Vikings on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis to vault to the top of the NFC North standings.

The game between the two division rivals and Super Bowl contenders met expectations. The teams traded leads, they recovered from mistakes and they made key plays when it mattered most. Ultimately, it was the Lions who were able to escape enemy territory with the victory in a game that could end up deciding the division winner.

Here are five things that stood out from the Vikings' first loss of the season:

Self-inflicted wounds

The Vikings couldn't have asked for a better start. But after taking a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, they shot themselves in the foot on too many occasions, ultimately allowing the Lions to get back into the game. Two holding penalties and a false start derailed a first-quarter drive and forced a punt. The Lions answered with a touchdown, making it 10-7.

An illegal formation helped halt the next Vikings' drive, forcing another punt. Once again, the Lions answered with a touchdown and took their first lead, 14-10. Then came the biggest miscue on the next drive, when Sam Darnold threw a pass right to Lions safety Brian Branch. The throw simply wasn't there, and to make matters worse, Darnold had Aaron Jones wide open on the other side of the field. The Lions, naturally, answered with yet another touchdown.

The Vikings had eight penalties overall for 59 yards.

And suddenly, a 10-0 Vikings lead turned into a 21-10 deficit. That left them playing catch up the rest of the way.

Highs and lows on defense

The Vikings defense didn't do the offense any favors after those first-half miscues, giving up three straight touchdown drives in the second quarter. That included a 45-yard touchdown run from Jahmyr Gibbs, a 35-yard touchdown pass from Jared Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown and an 8-yard Gibbs touchdown run just before the halftime break.

After the Vikings answered out of the break with Sam Darnold hitting Justin Jefferson for a 25-yard touchdown pass, the Lions marched right back down the field on a nine-play, 70-yard touchdown drive capped by a 21-yard touchdown pass from Goff to Kalif Raymond. It appeared as though the Vikings had no answered for the high-powered Lions offense.

But after a field goal from Will Reichard made it 28-20 in the fourth quarter, the Vikings defense finally came through with a much-needed stop. Reichard capped the Vikings' next drive with another field goal to make it 28-23, and the defense came through with the play of the game. Josh Metellus punched the ball out of the hands of Lions running back David Montgomery on a short pass, and Ivan Pace Jr. scooped it up and ran 36 yards into the end zone for a go-ahead score.

The defense forced another stop on the ensuing Lions possession, but then the offense game up dry for the first time of the half, and the Lions were able to run the clock down and set up the game-winning field goal from Bates.

Overall, the Lions racked up 391 yards of total offense, including 144 on the ground.

Aaron Jones' impact

Jones returned for the Vikings on Sunday, and his impact was felt immediately. On the Vikings’ first drive of the day, Jones went untouched on a 34-yard touchdown run that gave Minnesota an early 7-0 lead. Jones had 14 carries for 93 yards and the score overall and caught three passes for 23 yards. 

Dan Campbell's bold call

Lions coach Dan Campbell is known for making bold decisions. He certainly didn't change his formula for Sunday's big NFC North matchup. After the Vikings forced the Lions into a three-and-out on their first possession of the game, Campbell ran a fake punt on a direct snap to linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin. But Metellus and fullback C.J. Ham stopped him for a gain of just one on fourth-and-7 to set up a short field for the Vikings offense.

Two plays later, Jones was into the end zone for his 34-yard touchdown run.

Offense bounces back, but comes up short

After the miscues disrupted offensive rhythm in the first half, the Vikings marched right down the field, going on a nine-play, 80-yard touchdown drive capped by the 25-yard touchdown pass from Darnold to Jefferson. The Vikings didn't score another offensive touchdown after that, but set up two field goals for Reichard to stay within reach.

Overall, it was a mixed bag from the offense on Sunday. They racked up 383 yards of total offense, including 139 rushing yards. They were 4 for 10 on third downs and turned it over just once. Darnold completed 22-of-27 passes for 259 yards, a touchdown and an interception. But they couldn't get it done at the end and missed too many chances throughout.

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Nolan O'Hara
NOLAN O'HARA

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