Defensive MVP – Honorable Mentions
If not for a garbage-time touchdown for the Lions, this game would have been a shutout. Detroit couldn’t move the ball at all inside U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday and much of it was thanks to excellent play up front on defense.
That’s not to say the back end struggled. Minnesota defended five passes in this game, four of those coming from the defensive backs. This was a great team effort and hopefully a confidence builder for the last three games of the season.
Here are some of the defensive standouts from this game who weren’t quite the MVP from Week 14 against the Lions:
- Trae Waynes, cornerback: Delivering on what he is best at, Waynes led the team in tackles with eight, all solo on the day. His ability to stop ballcarriers had to be frustrating for the Lions, who couldn’t seem to gain yards after the catch thanks to the swarming defense of Minnesota.
- Everson Griffen, defensive end: Ending the day with only two quarterback hits, one sack, and one additional tackle, Griffen was consistently getting pressure in the backfield of the Lions. The experienced pass rusher forced Detroit to be honest in their blocking scheme and that allowed other players to feast on David Blough.
- Harrison Smith, safety: Once again, Smith was everywhere on the field. Not only did he register a great jumping interception in the game but he added a tackle for a loss, an additional tackle, and an extra pass defense. Moving the safety around seemed to confuse the Lions quarterback, and that is an area where Smith excels.
- Eric Kendricks, linebacker: Kendricks must have filled up his tackling fuel before this game considering he racked up seven takedowns in the game with six of those being solo. He is a key piece of this defense when it comes to limiting yards after the catch or swarming to a ball carrier and did that job consistently on Sunday.
- Andrew Sendejo, safety: If you are only going to be in the game during garbage time, why not make a nice style play with an exclamation point? The safety grabbed an interception on the final drive of the game for the Lions, sealing the win for Minnesota!