6 biggest takeaways from the Vikings loss vs. Lions in Week 14

This defense isn’t working

Yes, the offense of the Detroit Lions has been on a roll lately. They have scored 99 points in their last three games. But this isn’t a fluke that opposing teams have big offensive explosions against the Minnesota Vikings.

The Lions racked up 464 yards of offense against Minnesota, winning the time of possession by controlling the ball for 31:54 and converted nearly half of their third down attempts during Sunday’s game.

Ed Donatell’s new scheme for the Vikings has some major flaws that have been exploited. Underneath the “umbrella” of defensive backs, teams have attacked the seam or used that area to get a defender out of position for a big play.

It’s hard to know if it is a schematic issue, personnel issue, or problem with the execution since this is the first year of this defensive look, but it is something that really needs to be evaluated as soon as possible.