What were the good, bad, and interesting things from the Minnesota Vikings Week 12 game against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day in 2017?
The Minnesota Vikings had a short week coming into Week 12 as the came off a Sunday game defeating the Los Angeles Rams only to have to play a game on Thursday, which happens to be Thanksgiving Day.
Their opponent for the game on November 23, 2017 was the Detroit Lions, a team which already defeated Minnesota at U.S. Bank Stadium and stood as their biggest competition from the NFC North championship.
In a hard-fought game with some huge plays by both teams that resulted in fans biting their nails, the Minnesota Vikings were able to emerge victorious in Detroit by defeating the Lions by a final score of 30-23.
Let’s talk about the ups and downs of this week’s Thanksgiving game against the Lions starting by talking about the positive things that happened for Minnesota against the Lions!
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!
The bad stuff from Week 12 vs Lions
- Running the ball in the first half. Coming into this game, Detroit was giving up a lot of yards on the ground to opposing running backs. However, the combination of McKinnon and Murray weren’t able to take advantage of that, as the Lions appeared focused on stopping the run.
- Getting a penalty when trying to draw a penalty. Usually, Joe Berger is one of the most disciplined linemen in the NFL. But the Vikings tried to make the lions jump near their own 40-yard line instead of punting…and the entire resulting play was a mess.
- Latavius Murray in the passing game. Minnesota is starting to telegraph their pass plays by bringing McKinnon in, much like what happened when Adrian Peterson was in Minnesota. Murray dropped a pass as well, which is strange to see from a sure-handed team.
- Kicking extra points and field goals. Not a good sign when the Lions are blocking kicks at will. Sure, one was a bad hold, but the other was just a defensive lineman shooting right up the gut. Leaving 4 points on the field isn’t something you can do against a team like Detroit.
- Letting the Lions back in. Detroit always finds a way to put themselves back in a position to win the game against Minnesota, and that was no different this week. What looked like a dominating Vikings showing turned into one of the tightest games yet for the team this season.
The interesting things from Week 12 vs Lions
- I hate when the Vikings play on Thanksgiving. Don’t get me wrong. I love watching football while stuffing my face with turkey and spending time with the family. But I’d rather it not be a game that I get emotionally invested in.
- Congratulations, Everson! Before the game, Everson Griffen revealed that his wife delivered a child, their third. Even though they haven’t named the kid or anything like that, Griffen seemed like such a happy man when talking to FOX.
- Rudy moving on up! This week, I’ve been talking about Rudy tying Jake Reed with 33 touchdown catches to tie for the 6th most in franchise history. But who thought he’d get #34 as well and move up to tie Ahmad Rashad for the 5th most in the same game?!?
- Horrible officiating. Bad calls on a Lions pass ruled a touchdown and non-calls against the Lions secondary are the highlights of a poorly officiated game. And that “taunting” call on Keenum was one of the worst calls I’ve ever seen.
- Minnesota Milestones. Everson ties Kevin Williams for 8th all-time in team history with 60.0 sacks. Meanwhile, Adam Thielen becomes the Vikings first 1,000-yard receiver since Sidney Rice in 2009.
The overall impression from Week 12 vs Lions
The Minnesota Vikings really needed this win. As I’ve said before, the Lions had won the first head-to-head game in Minnesota and the Lions look to be the toughest competition in the NFC North title race.
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The offense was just as expected for Minnesota. Case Keenum played efficient football and showed off just how dangerous he can be with his legs as well as his arm while finding both Thielen and Rudolph in clutch situations.
Defensively, the Vikings faced off against a tough Lions offense that is known for big plays but held them in check for the most part aside from the middle of the second half. But the pass rush needs to be recognized for everything they did, and they only allowed 40 yards on the ground from running backs.
As a whole, Minnesota has always struggled against the Lions in recent history and this is a game that the team needed to win. The Vikings players had that extra boom in their step this week, especially on defense, where they just seemed to play extra fast and hit hard.
Next: 2nd half highlights from Week 12
Now, the Vikings will get some rest as they won’t play again until their Week 13 game against the Falcons in Atlanta on Sunday, December 3, 2017. The Viking Age will be back to give the Ups and Downs from that game and hope you’ll come back as well!