3 scapegoats from the Minnesota Vikings loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 16

2. Minnesota's Defense

This section is for not only the Vikings players but for the defensive coaches as well.

Giving up 30 points is obviously not a good day at the office, but when Minnesota's offense gave the ball away four times, it's hard to do much with what you're given.

The Lions have one of the best offenses in the NFL, so with the Vikings giving them the ball time and time again, the pressure that was on Minnesota's defense was just too much.

This is not to say that the Vikings' defense played without fault, but given their opponent and the major turnover discrepancy, it was hard to overcome.

Minnesota's defense has still looked much improved from years prior, but it is still very obvious that adding to that side of the ball should be the main focus of the upcoming 2024 draft and free agent cycle.

The scheme works well to mask the inefficiencies, but Vikings fans can still see that there is work to be done.