Minnesota Vikings Best and Worst: Week 17 at Detroit Lions
By Adam Carlson
![Jan 3, 2021; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Alexander Mattison (25) runs the ball against the Detroit Lions during the second quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports Jan 3, 2021; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Alexander Mattison (25) runs the ball against the Detroit Lions during the second quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Fthevikingage-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fimagn-images-2F2018-2F08-2F15391446-850x560-639d766aa5e9228e4a4eb2d3a12f637334125da598a9ffd58d3b8ebcb2644964.jpg)
The Worst
No team wants to admit that they let the Detroit Lions pour 35 points on them. There might be playmakers on their team, but Matt Stafford’s group has struggled to win games in recent history because they make a lot of mistakes and struggle to execute in all phases of the game efficiently.
Sunday saw the Minnesota Vikings defense playing a lot of guys on defense. In fact, unless you had a cheat sheet near you with their names and jersey numbers, it’s not surprising if you had no clue who many of these players were.
Whether it was the inexperienced players on the field or the usual starters, there is something about Marvin Jones Jr. that lights up when he plays the Vikings and he always seems to put his best foot forward in those games. Sunday’s game saw him catch eight passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns against a confused and green Minnesota defense.
It’s hard to watch a Mike Zimmer defense struggle so badly defensively. However, considering everything the team has endured on that side of the ball this year, it’s easy to say that it actually could have been much, much worse.