6 biggest takeaways from the Vikings loss vs. Lions in Week 13

Bad decisions prevented Minnesota’s victory

Oh, boy. Even before the start of this game, the Minnesota Vikings put themselves in some tough situations but the decisions made in the game made it even harder to understand the thought process during this game.

With Christian Darrisaw out, Minnesota made the interesting decision to start Oli Udoh at left tackle and have Mason Cole fill in at right guard. As expected, Udoh struggled mightily and gave up pressures, sacks, and threw in some penalty yards as well.

Then came the decision to go for two not once, not twice, but three times. Heck, one of those attempts came in the third quarter, when an extra point would have made it a four-point game. Those three points would have forced Detroit to kick the extra point for overtime or go for two of their own for a win.

But it wouldn’t have even been a situation like that if the Vikings had played any kind of defense on the final Detroit drive of the game. They gave up passes on the sidelines, sent only three defenders after Goff, and played so far back that they let the Lions move down the field with ease to get their first win of the season.