After getting embarrassed in Week 2, the Minnesota Vikings responded with a home victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
Midway through the second quarter on Sunday, the Detroit Lions scored their second touchdown of the afternoon to increase their lead over the Minnesota Vikings by 14 points. After what went down in Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles, it felt like the Vikings were heading towards another disappointing loss.
Instead, Minnesota kept their composure, and they fought their way back into the matchup. Thanks to a K.J. Osborn touchdown catch with under a minute left in the contest, the Vikings were able to walk off the field on Sunday with their second win of the season.
Before we take a deeper dive into everything that took place inside U.S. Bank Stadium this weekend, what are some of the things that immediately stood out from Minnesota’s win over Detroit?
Quick thoughts on the Vikings win over the Lions
Vikings were down, but never out: In the past, Minnesota might not have made the comeback that they did on Sunday. The Vikings trailed by 14 points and 10 points at different points in the game, but they never gave up hope.
Is this what the new culture created by head coach Kevin O’Connell generates? If it is, we shouldn’t be counting Minnesota out of many games moving forward.
Thielen, Osborn step up as Jefferson is shut down:
For the second week in a row, Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson was held in check by the opposing defense. Jefferson actually did even less on Sunday against the Lions than he did in Week 2’s loss to the Eagles.
Detroit held the Minnesota receiver to just three catches for 14 yards. Unlike last week though, the Vikings saw guys like Adam Thielen and K.J. Osborn step up for the team in their game against Detroit. Thielen and Osborn combined to haul in 11 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns.
This is exactly what needs to happen whenever an opposing defense puts the majority of their focus on stopping Jefferson.