After the Minnesota Vikings lost a close game to the strong Detroit Lions, coach Kevin O’Connell created a new term to describe his team’s not-quite-good-enough performance.
“It’s just these little self-inflicteds,” O’Connell said, pointing out the pre-snap penalties and other small mistakes that contributed to the 31-29 loss to the Lions on Sunday. “I’ve got to get that stuff fixed. When you’re trying to win at the level we’re trying to win at against anybody we play, we can’t do anything to help give football teams an out.”
With the loss, the Vikings are now tied for first place in the competitive NFC North with the Lions at 5-1. Despite the defeat, the Vikings showed they can compete in the division and beyond. However, there is a way to beat them when they aren’t at their best.
The Lions used Jared Goff’s accurate passing to counter the Vikings’ blitzes by focusing on medium-range throws, the speed of running back Jahmyr Gibbs, and an aggressive defense that produced a crucial interception of Sam Darnold.
“In a heavyweight battle like this, it comes down to situational football,” safety Josh Metellus said. “We lost the situational football today.”
Darnold’s missed passes on third down late in the game forced a punt when the Vikings were ahead 29-28. Earlier, a missed two-point conversion after Ivan Pace’s fumble return touchdown also stood out, but another telling moment came before those plays.
After the Vikings got a new set of downs at the Detroit 32-yard line, O’Connell called a reverse pass, but Justin Jefferson wisely opted for a safer 3-yard run when the Lions caught on to the trick play. Then Darnold was sacked twice in a row, which led to a field goal.
