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Week 4 Ups and Downs: Minnesota Vikings vs Detroit Lions

Adam Carlson
Adam Carlson

The Viking Age

(Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) Matthew Stafford and Eric Kendricks

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 1: Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions scrambles with the ball in the second half of the game against the Minnesota Vikings on October 1, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 1: Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions scrambles with the ball in the second half of the game against the Minnesota Vikings on October 1, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

What were the positive and negative things from the Minnesota Vikings Week 4 NFL game against the Detroit Lions? Here are our Ups and Downs!

The Minnesota Vikings will be taking on all three of their opponents in the NFC North over the next three weeks and that stretch started out by hosting the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium on October 1, 2017.

Of course, division games are even more important when trying to determine a playoff picture and assert dominance over the competition. Recently, the Lions have done a great job against Minnesota, but the Vikings hoped to reverse that trend in Week 4.

The Minnesota Vikings lost by a final score of 7-14. This loss drops the Vikings to 2-2 on the season and drops them back in the race for the top spot in the NFC North.

But what were the good, bad, and interesting things from the game? Let’s talk about everything that happened beginning with the stuff that made us smile in Week 4 vs the Lions.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 1: Dalvin Cook #33 of the Minnesota Vikings scores a five yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter of the game against the Detroit Lions on October 1, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 1: Dalvin Cook #33 of the Minnesota Vikings scores a five yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter of the game against the Detroit Lions on October 1, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

The Good Stuff

  1. Dalvin Cook running the football. Good things happen when the young running back get the ball in his hands. Whether it is making people miss or gaining yards after contact, Cook looks to be a fantastic asset to the Vikings offense.
  2. Minnesota’s pass rush. The Vikings hadn’t been lighting up the sack scoreboard in the first 3 weeks of the season, but they sure got after Matt Stafford in this game, frustrating him and attacking the Lions offensive line every single drive.
  3. Offensive line play. The Lions are no slouches when it comes to getting to quarterbacks or plugging the line of scrimmage. Still, the Vikings did a great job of keeping Keenum upright and making holes in the run game on a regular basis with only a few miscues.
  4. Containing an explosive offense. Holding the Lions to only 1 touchdown should be considered a major accomplishment. The Vikings secondary did a great job of playing the Lions receivers, even though they couldn’t capitalize on a few passes with interceptions.
  5. Keeping it close. Despite turnovers and an injury, Minnesota continued to hang with Detroit until the final moments of the game. It’s amazing considering how good of a team the Lions are that Minnesota kept it as competitive as they did.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 1: Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions passes the ball in the first quarter of the game against the Minnesota Vikings on October 1, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 1: Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions passes the ball in the first quarter of the game against the Minnesota Vikings on October 1, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)

The Bad Things

  1. Picking up 3rd downs early. There were plenty of times the Vikings should have gotten things rolling early in the game, but couldn’t convert in the passing game. An early lead is how they put pressure on the Buccaneers and needed to repeat that performance.
  2. Covering tight ends. Fells opened up the game with several great catches, taking advantage of mismatches. Still, the Lions do have a dynamic passing attack that means just about anyone can become Stafford’s favorite target at any time. Today was just all about Fells early on.
  3. Burning two timeouts to punt. I get that you can try to make an opponent jump offsides and the safe play is a punt. But when you get the feeling that the first down can be picked up and the Lions are giving a lot of space to make it happen, it can get mighty frustrating, especially when timeouts are on the line.
  4. Eric Kendricks missing tackles. Usually solid as a tackler, Kendricks missed three big tackles in the first half that would have stopped the Lions drives or at least slowed them down in a huge way. VERY uncharacteristic of him.
  5. Wildcat tricks. By now, readers here know just how much I despise trick plays. With the Vikings running the ball well, there is no reason to mess with formations or take any unnecessary risks. Boneheaded play call and even worse execution.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 1: Former Minnesota Vikings player Ahmad Rashad, center, is introduced at halftime of the game against the Detroit Lions on October 1, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Rashad was inducted in the Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 1: Former Minnesota Vikings player Ahmad Rashad, center, is introduced at halftime of the game against the Detroit Lions on October 1, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Rashad was inducted in the Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)

The Interesting Stuff

  1. Danielle Hunter finally got his first (and second) sack of the season. He’s gotten plenty of pressure but hadn’t brought down a quarterback until this week. Sometimes statistics don’t always tell the whole story, and Hunter’s pressures were getting masked by his lack of sacks.
  2. Griffen being chipped. Earlier this week, Griffen called out Lions OT Robinson for being ‘lazy’. The Lions aren’t doing much to change the impression of the offensive lineman, giving lots of help against the Vikings defensive end.
  3. Linval Joseph gets his first sack of the season, too. The Lions paid a lot of money to upgrade their offensive line, but the Vikings were able to swarm to Stafford and take him out of his rhythm early and often. And when the big fella gets going, it’s hard to stop him!
  4. Non-contact knee injuries. There are a few things that scare Vikings fans. Too much success and knees have to be at the top of that list. Now, Dalvin Cook can be added to the list of Vikings stars who struggle with a knee issue, and fans will need to wait and hope for good news.
  5. The streak. I knew I should have gotten tickets to this game. The Vikings have still never lost when I was at a game, and their only 2 losses at home this season (including preseason) were when I was not there. C’mon, Vikings. Hook me up with those season tickets!
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 1: Dalvin Cook #33 of the Minnesota Vikings walks into the locker room after getting injured on a play in the third quarter of the game against the Detroit Lions on October 1, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 1: Dalvin Cook #33 of the Minnesota Vikings walks into the locker room after getting injured on a play in the third quarter of the game against the Detroit Lions on October 1, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)

Overall Impression

Coming into this game, fans had to know that this was a big one. Not only are the Lions a very capable offense, but they have a very underrated defense with some star pass rushers and defensive backs.

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Sadly, there were too many moments that took the momentum right away from the Vikings. An injury to Dalvin Cook as well as turnovers took the air out of the crowd far too many times and likely got into the head of the players as well.

Case Keenum was unable to replicate his brilliant performance from Week 3, but fans are well aware that he is a streaky player who has a tendency to be inconsistent. And that inconsistency can look even worse against a good defense.

Still, there were bright spots. The defense looked solid again and the offense live appeared to be capable in the loss, giving hope that the future could continue to be even better as the season goes on for Minnesota.

Overall, the game was disappointing as a fan, but not enough to give an impression of doom for the season. However, fans should still be holding their breath to find out just how severe the knee injury to Dalvin Cook is.

Next: Dalvin Cook injured in Week 4 loss to Detroit

Next week, the Minnesota Vikings will head to Chicago for a matchup against the Bears on Monday Night Football. Hopefully, they will find a way to rebound and be healthy heading into the week 5 game.

Adam Carlson

Adam Carlson

Adam is a lifelong fan of the Minnesota Vikings. He loves horror movies...especially zombies. You can check out his work on FanSided's The Viking Age or listen to him talk about football on The Purple People Podcast. You've probably shot him playing Call of Duty or Overwatch.