The Minnesota Vikings own a 6-0 record on the season and they’ve gotten there with their ability to close out games. The Vikings defense has shut down opponents in any situation, but they’ve been able to turn it up late, allowing just three points in the fourth quarter this season.
For a team allowing just 12.3 points per game, that’s not a surprise. But they could get a challenge in this week’s matchup against the Detroit Lions.
The Lions’ offense is one of the best in the NFL, ranking second in scoring with 30.7 points per game. That output has come with timing, with 51 points and an average of 8.5 points in the fourth quarter.
With both teams looking for an advantage, Sunday’s game figures to be close and how each team responds in the final quarter could determine who walks out of Detroit with a victory.
Minnesota Vikings will face a Week 8 challenge from the Detroit Lions' fourth-quarter offense
The Lions have made a habit of getting to teams late. After stalling out after taking a 21-0 lead against the New Orleans Saints, they still managed a Jake Bates field goal with 2:32 to go, forcing New Orleans to score a touchdown to send the game to overtime.
Detroit also put up 14 points in garbage time in a Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills, but did the same in a Week 3 win over the New York Jets, including an 11-yard touchdown pass from Jared Goff to Jahmyr Gibbs with 2:22 to play.
The Lions netted a touchdown in a Week 4 loss to the Carolina Panthers and a Week 5 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. But their most impressive fourth-quarter drive came in last week’s win over the Green Bay Packers, where they ran a 10-play, 71-yard drive that ate up the final 3:21 of regulation and ended with a 22-yard field goal by Jake Bates to give Detroit a 20-17 victory.
That drive against the Packers shows what makes the Lions dangerous in the fourth quarter. First, they manage the clock. Instead of using their explosive offense to quickly generate a go-ahead score, the Lions drove meticulously down the field, with Gibbs dropping to the turf to burn clock and the Packers’ timeouts, rather than fighting for extra yardage.
This included a third-and-six late in the game where Gibbs picked up the first down and fell to the turf at the three-yard line instead of scoring. With Green Bay out of timeouts, the Lions were able to set up Bates for the game-winning field goal on the next play and run down the clock without giving the Packers a chance to answer.
The Lions also used their discipline to their advantage, drawing Karl Brooks offside with a hard count that allowed Detroit to convert a 3rd-and-5 to keep the drive going just after the two-minute warning.
Goff’s accuracy also helped Detroit move the ball and the explosiveness still showed up as Goff completed an 18-yard pass to Sam LaPorta on the opening play of the drive before Gibbs picked up a 15-yard run on the second play to drive them into Packer territory.
Vikings must use a disciplined approach to deny the Lions late
The Lions’ fourth-quarter efficiency is a challenge, but the Vikings will have to stop it. Brian Flores’s defense has been up to any adversity it has faced this season and there are several ways they can slow Detroit down in a late-game situation.
The first key is stopping the run. Minnesota has been stout on the ground this season, holding opponents to 4.2 yards per carry. But they showed weaknesses in last week’s win against the Indianapolis Colts, allowing Jonathan Taylor to run for 95 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Gibbs is a similar threat and kicks off a gauntlet of elite backs the Vikings will have to bottle up in the next few weeks.
The other objective is to cover the middle of the field. Part of the reason Goff has been so efficient this year is that he has elite possession targets in LaPorta and Amon-Ra St. Brown, who can identify coverages and find the soft spot in the defense. While most teams may attack the sidelines to preserve time for a score, the Lions dink-and-dunk to kill the clock, creating another way to close out the game.
The final parts will be the challenges the Vikings face all game. If Minnesota stops the run, they’ll force Detroit into lighter personnel packages and have Goff try to play the hero. While he’s capable, he'll also run right into the teeth of a defense that uses simulated pressures and disguised coverages to make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks.
Avoiding pre-snap penalties will also be important and could let the Vikings suffocate the Lions, as they have most opponents this season. It’s another chess match that will play out on the field Sunday and could determine whether the Vikings can earn their first 7-0 start since the 2000 season.
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