MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 4: Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions is sacked with the ball by Danielle Hunter #99 of the Minnesota Vikings in the second half of the game at U.S. Bank Stadium on November 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images) /
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – NOVEMBER 4: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings drops back to hand the ball off in the third quarter of the game against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium on November 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
The bad things vs Detroit
Losing the turnover battle. It’s typically hard to win a game if you turn the ball over twice, but the Vikings were able to pull it off. One was a dangerous and ill-advised throw while the other was a backward pass that Minnesota needs to take out of their playbook immediately until they can run it without a fumble or turnover.
Inconsistent offense. While the Vikings looked great defensively, it wasn’t excellent on offense. The team only had a total of 283 total yards, with only 155 of them coming through the air. If Minnesota could combine this defensive effort with a potent offense, it would have been an extremely lopsided game.
The streak is over! Adam Thielen had a nice streak of 8 games in a row with 100 yards receiving, but failed to reach that mark during this game. In fact, he wasn’t even close. He caught four passes for 22 yards, but did manage to score a touchdown against the Lions.
A big drop. U.S. Bank Stadium was about to erupt on a deep pass to Aldrick Robinson, but it ended up being incomplete when he couldn’t haul it in. With the passing game not picking up much yardage, this play could have helped to take the top off the defense a little more.
Another injury.David Morgan had a knee injury that took him out of this game. With so many contributors banged up, adding another to the list is never a good thing. At least there is a bye week coming up for these players to get a little time to heal before returning to action.
