Minnesota Vikings Best and Worst: Week 7 vs. Detroit Lions

More good stuff

One thing fans likely weren’t expecting was a dominant performance from the offensive line. Not only were there some great running lanes created by the big guys up front, but they were particularly strong in pass protection.

In fact, the big guys didn’t allow Kirk Cousins to be sacked one time during the game. That’s quite impressive since there weren’t even a lot of times he was pressured and he was only hit three times on the day.

Here are some other good things to come out of Week 7 for the Minnesota Vikings:

• A good challenge. On the first Lions drive of the game, Mike Zimmer challenged a pass attempt from Matt Stafford as to whether it was a fumble or incomplete pass. This resulted in pushing Detroit back, and a false start penalty pushed them back to force a punt.
• Talented pass catchers. Both Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen had great catches with very little room. It’s crazy to think that fans have come to expect these kinds of plays from the Vikings receivers, but they are really able to work magic in very little space.
• Continued greatness. Eric Kendricks has been awesome this season, and he didn’t slow down in this game. He racked up a dozen tackles, with one of them being for a loss. Not only that, but he broke up two passes as well. With the rest of the defense struggling, he shined this week.
• Making people miss. Dalvin Cook has made a lot of people silly this season, but his ability to take a play that looks as though it is going nowhere and turn it into a nice gain is really a work of magic. He can be an absolute game-changer with the ball in his hands.
• Stepping in. Bisi Johnson may not be a starter, but he solidified himself as the team’s number three receiver in this game. With Thielen exiting, Johnson had four catches for 40 yards and the first touchdown of his career.