Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions: Full Report Card Grades for Detroit
The Detroit Lions had spoiled their fans with two straight blowouts but reverted back to their cardiac ways in a 16-14 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
Minnesota looked like it had Detroit's top-scoring defense figured out, jumping out to a quick 14-0 lead. Teddy Bridgewater was tossing screens and slants with impunity, and Matt Asiata was working the middle of the defense.
There wasn't a huge pivot as much as an easing into a different style of play. Detroit tackled better but got lucky when Blair Walsh couldn't connect on any of his three field goals.
But the last "miss" was the one that truly changed the complexion of the game. Jason Jones followed up a sack with a blocked field goal that kept the lead at one point.
The Lions—as they have often done this year—put together that one drive they needed, and Matt Prater capped the scoring with a 33-yard field goal that gave Detroit its first lead with 3:38 remaining.
Quarterback
1 of 10
This wasn't the same Matthew Stafford that played the past two weeks.
His first-half passes didn't have the same precision, making it tougher on wide receivers to make catches. And some of them would have required a superhuman effort (Corey Fuller on 3rd-and-7).
"Ross was open there. Good play design. Stafford just missed him. #MINvsDET
— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) December 14, 2014"
Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi started mixing in some shorter throws to Golden Tate, and the stat sheet turned around a bit.
But only a bit.
Stafford finished 17-of-28 for just 153 yards and a touchdown, resulting in a passer rating of 87.4. There are some throws he'll want back, and his offensive line didn't help, but the end result is something he can live with.
"Matthew Stafford gets his 16th game-winning drive.
— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) December 15, 2014"
Grade: B
Running Back
2 of 10
All of that goodwill that the Lions running backs had engendered over the past few weeks disappeared quickly in this one.
Joique Bell did most of the heavy lifting. He ran for 62 yards on 16 carries, which isn't a bad yards-per-carry average (4.1). However, his best contribution came in the passing game:
"Joique Bell with the one-handed catch to keep the drive alive and pick up 17 yards
— Detroit Lions (@Lions_Insider) December 14, 2014"
In sum, he grabbed four catches for 41 yards.
The rest of the running backs failed to have much of an impact. Reggie Bush and Theo Riddick combined for 12 yards on five carries, with Bush grabbing one pass for 10 yards.
Grade: B-
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
There weren't many yards or catches to be spread around, making the wide receivers especially hard to grade.
Calvin Johnson came back to earth after over 300 yards in two games with just four catches for 53. There was one first-half play that could be considered a drop, but the circumstances might have been the real culprit:
"Not entirely sure what happened there, but looked like Calvin Johnson lost his footing out of his break.
— Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) December 14, 2014"
Golden Tate was a bit more prolific with seven catches, but he couldn't shake his way free most of the afternoon, as he finished with 38 yards. He also notched Detroit's only touchdown by taking a short pass and weaving his way through traffic.
And that's about it for this group. In fact, the most notable play otherwise came via Jeremy Ross, and it wasn't a happy one:
"Lombardi draws up the perfect play against Mike Zimmer defense. Stafford throws a perfect pass. Ross drops it. #ComeOnMan
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) December 14, 2014"
Ross dropped a very catchable ball on third down prior to Matt Prater's final field goal that would have given Detroit a first down at the Vikings' 4-yard line. Tight end Eric Ebron was the only other player here with a catch, which he took for 11 yards.
Grade: C+
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Offensive Line
4 of 10
The usual suspect in Detroit's anemic-at-times offense committed more than a few crimes this week.
There was considerable pressure on Matthew Stafford, with early heat coming from the center of the line:
"Nice rush scheme by Vikings D there. Lions have struggled all year with double A-gap looks.
— Jeff Risdon (@JeffRisdon) December 14, 2014"
Risdon is referring to two Vikings lining up inside the guards, putting pressure on Dominic Raiola and Rob Sims, the two weakest links in the chain. The results of their poor play were evident to one particular Lions scribe:
"That inaccurate pass is on Oline, not Stafford. Could argue it was a long developing route, so play design could be culprit too. #MINvsDET
— Mike Mady (@lionsreport) December 14, 2014"
To be fair, Minnesota failed to scratch the sacking scoresheet. There wasn't a single recorded sack in this game for the Vikings, but the pressure was evident on plenty of plays.
As for the running game, things weren't much prettier. Many of Joique Bell's 62 yards required a broken tackle or a change of direction in the backfield. And we know how the rest of the running backs fared.
Grade: C
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The Vikings had their way with Detroit's defense early. The offensive line was giving Teddy Bridgewater time to carve up the linebackers and secondary.
To make matters worse, Matt Asiata was averaging 4.3 yards per carry through the first quarter. Part of the reason might have had to do with the flu bug that made its way through the locker room.
"Ndamukong Suh looks winded, standing on sideline with helmet off. Was sick this week.
— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) December 14, 2014"
But things started to change in the second quarter. The pressure started to get to Bridgewater, and Detroit was able to rack up four sacks on the day.
It was a team effort that limited Minnesota to 3.6 yards per carry and created all those sacks. However, one player stood out among them all:
"Jason Jones officially in Beast Mode.
— Carlos Monarrez (@cmonarrez) December 14, 2014"
Jones finished with four tackles, at least one sack and the big blocked field goal. He was a monster on Minnesota's final threatening drive (not the actual final drive), and the Lions don't win this game without him.
Ndamukong Suh also added four tackles and a sack, while Devin Taylor and George Johnson each had a sack of their own.
Grade: B+
Linebacker
6 of 10
As always, we start with DeAndre Levy. He was back at his screen-busting best at times and was an emotional rock that got the defense back on track with big plays. In all, he finished with 11 tackles, including one for a loss.
But not everything went well. Plenty of Teddy Bridgewater's 315 yards came at the expense of the linebackers in zone and flat coverage. And there was one particular play that had many screaming at the television screen:
"Tahir Whitehead very lucky he didn't get a flag there. Head hunting on a Bridgewater slide.
— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) December 14, 2014"
Still, Levy finished with 11 tackles while Whitehead added 10, and each recorded a tackle for a loss.
Rookie Kyle Van Noy looked a bit lost at times. He didn't seem to know where he needed to be, as is to be expected from a player who missed half the season.
Grade: B
Secondary
7 of 10
No unit had a more up-and-down day than the secondary. However, the scheme could have been as much to blame as poor play.
Too often, the cornerbacks were giving a cushion that the Vikings didn't deserve. That's the other reason—beside the linebackers—that Teddy Bridgewater's day went so well.
But there were good plays as well:
"Slay with a huge breakup on that series but Vaughn's read on the 1st dwn bubble screen was the key play. Vikings want to dink & dunk.
— Mike Mady (@lionsreport) December 14, 2014"
And nobody will soon forget Glover Quin's impact:
"Who else? Glover Quin picks off a pass and returns it to the 11. That could have just saved the game.
— Dave Hogg (@Stareagle) December 14, 2014"
Hogg isn't kidding. The Lions were down 14, and Quin's pick set up Detroit's first touchdown. He also added three tackles, including one for a loss, and a pass defensed.
Rounding out the stat sheet, Rahsean Mathis has six tackles, Darius Slay had five (and two passes defensed with one interception) and James Ihedigbo chipped in with four.
Grade: B
Special Teams
8 of 10
It's no longer Thanksgiving, but the holiday season is about family, and Matt Prater has ingratiated himself to the Lions faithful enough that they wouldn't leave him out in the cold.
"Difference in today's game: Matt Prater 3-for-3 Blair Walsh 0-for-3
— Pride Of Detroit (@PrideOfDetroit) December 15, 2014"
None of his kicks came from farther than 33 yards out, but there's no reason to punish the man for performing perfectly.
And Sam Martin continues to be worthy of his fifth-round choice. He averaged 44.3 yards over his six punts, including pinning Minnesota inside the 20 twice.
But the coverage units have continued a trend that is becoming troubling.
Marcus Sherels (I'll wait while you Google that name) averaged 18.5 yards per punt return for the Vikings, and Cordarrelle Patterson set up Minnesota after Detroit's go-ahead field goal by returning the kickoff to Minnesota's 49.
It was a combination of sloppy lane discipline and poor tackling that allowed these two to scorch the Lions. That needs to be cleaned up before Detroit faces stiffer competition.
Grade: B
Coaching
9 of 10
The poor start by the defense was a mix of bad tackling and a poor scheme. As noted earlier, the cornerbacks continuously lined up five yards off the line of scrimmage, despite Minnesota's early success running wide-receiver screens, outs and slants.
"Lions defensive backs need to give up that cushion because the Vikings are chewing them up on quick outs.
— Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) December 14, 2014"
As he has all year, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin made the proper adjustments, and the Lions didn't give up a single point for 2.5 quarters.
Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi seemed to understand what his unit does well, and had been exploiting defenses with decent play-calling the past couple weeks. That was not the situation on Sunday.
He often went conservative, and Detroit paid the price. Of particular note was his last offensive call, when he ran a toss for Bell instead of putting the game in Stafford's hands and trusting his quarterback to make the right call.
As for Jim Caldwell, the team sleepwalked its way through the first quarter and a half. That always falls on the coaches. But after a poor start and three early penalties, the Lions settled in and only committed two more. So a bit of credit needs to be mixed in with that blame.
Grade: B
Final Grades
10 of 10
QB: B
RB: B-
WR/TE: C+
OL: C
DL: B+
LB: B
Secondary: B
ST: B
Coaching: B
Cumulative Grade: B
It's been a couple of weeks, but we're back to the "a win is a win" mantra. But it should be noted that divisional games are never easy, and this same Vikings team fell just three points shy of knocking off the Packers recently.
And the facts remain positive for Detroit. The Lions are in first place in the NFC North by virtue of their early win over Green Bay, and even if they lose to the Bears, they can win the division with a win in Week 17.
The defense wasn't great until late, and the offense never performed well. However, good teams take advantage of opportunities, as Detroit did with Minnesota's turnovers, and find a way to win.
Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is @BrandonAlisoglu.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
