The good things from Week 12 vs Lions
- Making a statement early. The Lions won the coin toss and took the ball to establish their offense early and put pressure on Minnesota. Instead, the Vikings got a 3 and out against Detroit and showed discipline by not jumping offsides on 4th down hard counts.
- Case Keenum’s mobility. He has picked up first downs and even a touchdown in this game using his legs. His ability to run is hugely underrated, and teams almost need to account for his ability to scramble.
- Pressuring the quarterback. Despite the Lions spending a ton of money on their offensive line and getting their tackles back from injury, Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter were still able to get to Matt Stafford on several occasions. The athletic pass rushers will not be denied.
- The Vikings receivers are so good. I’ve learned that you can’t completely take Adam Thielen out of a game. The Lions tried to hold him in check and got burned by Case shifting his focus to Kyle Rudolph and Stefon Diggs. A very underrated group of guys!
- Putting the game away. Once again, it came down to the final minutes of the game against an excellent and resilient Lions team, but cornerback Xavier Rhodes was able to tip the ball to himself and get an interception on a 4th down play. That was big time!