Game recap: Detroit Lions suffer complete meltdown to Vikings, lose 37-20

For the second week in a row, the Detroit Lions seemed to have no reason to be on the same football field as their opponent. The Minnesota Vikings dominated Detroit in just about every facet of the game. The defense couldn’t stop early in the game as the offense turned into a go-to machine in the second half.

In the end, the Lions not only lost 34-20, they suffered a ton of injuries. Quarterback Matthew Stafford was the chief among them, leaving the game in the fourth quarter after suffering a blow to the head. His status is unknown at this time.

But one thing is clear: This Detroit Lions football team is now 3-5 years old and has virtually no hope of making a difference. The seat under Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn is now the hottest it has ever been.

Here’s how the game went on Sunday.

First shift

The Detroit Lions tried to get out by shooting, with Matthew Stafford going deep to Marvin Hall. Unfortunately, the ball was thrown and he was hit. Detroit quickly made three and one out, and a poor Jack Fox punt gave the Vikings a good position on the court.

It didn’t take long for Minnesota to take advantage of it. Dalvin Cook has run or a total of 22 carries over three carries while Justin Jefferson and Kyle Rudolph both added catches of 22 yards each. Put it all together and in less than five minutes the Vikings were up 7-0.

The Lions offense started to get things going with the running game on the next leg. Adrian Peterson and D’Andre Swift totaled 39 rushing yards as they headed into Lions territory. But just as Detroit entered the red zone, they stalled. Matt Prater continued his struggles this season, pushing a basket 46 yards to the left.

The Vikings’ offense continued to push the ball down with little resistance from Detroit. Adam Thielen had a big game play for 30 yards, and a few games later Kirk Cousins ​​found Irv Smith Jr. for a 9-yard touchdown.

Minnesota missed the extra point. 13-0 Vikings.

Second quarter

But Detroit was not dead. The running game continued to advance the offense. Combined with a few short passes from Matthew Stafford, the Lions went all the way to the Vikings’ one-yard line. Facing third and on goal, however, Detroit chose to run a stretch run with Peterson, and he was absolutely destroyed by the Vikings for a 4-yard loss. Detroit had to settle for another basket attempt. This time, Prater was good from 23 years old. 13-3 Vikings.

The Detroit defense finally got a stop on the next drive. After allowing a third and ten conversions, Detroit got a pass on the third down, giving the ball back to the Lions offense.

Thanks to a good 20-yard recovery from rookie wide receiver Quintez Cephus, Detroit went deep into Viking territory on the two-minute warning. After a huge third out from TJ Hockenson on a flipped pass, Stafford found Marvin Jones Jr. for a 15-yard touchdown, bringing him down to a one-scoring game. 13 to 10 Vikings.

By then, Matthew Stafford had completed 16 straight passes, 16 for 17 for 123 yards and a touchdown.

With 1:19 left, the Vikings had no plans to put it away for half. Dalvin Cook beat Jamie Collins Sr. on a course that ended up going for 29 yards. He followed it up with a 13-yard run, then former Lion Ameer Abdullah took a screen pass for 22 yards and a score, and just like that, it was a two-score game again. 20 to 10 Vikings.

Here is the story of the Lions defense in the first half:

Third quarter

Although Dalvin Cook had 14 in the opening scrimmage game in the second half, the Lions defense stiffened from there thanks, in part, to a nice break from Desmond Trufant. Minnesota quickly returned to Detroit, putting them on their own 12-yard line. But Detroit responded with a three and one out after Danny Amendola lost an easy conversion on the second down.

The Vikings strengthened their lead from there. Minnesota has converted for three consecutive thirds. A third-and-5 resulted in a 35-yard bomb on Justin Jefferson. A third and a 6 drew a pass interference call on Amani Oruwariye. And a third assist and a goal gave Irv Smith Jr. his second touchdown of the game. 27-10 Vikings.

Detroit were trying to reduce that to a two-point game, but Matthew Stafford made another critical error in the second half. In the red zone, Stafford targeted Hockenson in the middle, but didn’t even see linebacker Eric Wilson, who fell into the zone. Stafford threw it right at him, taking at least three points on the board.

But the Lions special teams won a huge game to give the Lions another chance with a second blocked punt in as many weeks:

But a few plays later, Stafford wasted the opportunity with a devastating interception on third and goal.

Detroit’s defense managed to stop and return the ball to the attack. And as the Lions went deep into Viking territory, Stafford took a shot and was forced out of the game to get a concussion test. Chase Daniel could not advance the ball and Detroit settled for another basket. 27-13 Vikings.

Dalvin Cook took the first play of the next practice for 70 yards and buried any chance of the Lions coming back.