5 Reasons the Lions Win over the Vikings Was Much Too Close for Comfort

The Detroit Lions on Sunday got off to the hot start that had eluded them so often this season. With barely a moment to catch their breath, the Minnesota Vikings found themselves down 21 points on the road to Detroit.

It felt like the game was over then and there, and really, it should have been. But with a series of mistakes from the Lions, an easing up of the immense pressure facing Detroit going into this game and some good luck, the Vikings found themselves right back in the game. It started to look like this might be the mirror image of the Lions' miraculous comeback win over Minnesota earlier this season.

It was not to be, as the Lions held on for the 34-28 victory. But that they held on by the slimmest of margins—the Vikings had first and goal on the one-yard line for the final play of the game when backup quarterback Joe Webb fumbled the ball—should have Lions fans sleeping uneasily going into next week's game in Oakland.

Here's five key reasons why the Lions' blowout turned into a bare-knuckled roller coaster of a game.

Complacency Is the Enemy of Victory

Once the Lions went up 21-0, something left them. The sense of urgency that comes from playing a must-win game; the hard-nosed play that came from a desire to shut Jared Allen up; the competitiveness that comes from playing a game where the outcome is in doubt.

The Lions lost all of that, and the Vikings took advantage. You can't play prevent defense in the first quarter, no matter how big the lead. And when Minnesota and Christian Ponder showed that they could move down the field when they weren't giving turnovers to the Lions defense, it quickly became clear that maybe this game wasn't as much a gimme as the score indicated. 

The Lions grew complacent, and the Vikings very nearly cut them down.

Over-Reliance on Turnovers

Don't get me wrong, turnovers are a great thing for defenses. The Lions were very effective at getting Christian Ponder to make mistakes and then capitalizing on those mistakes.

The problem comes when a defense is too reliant on those big plays. Turnovers cannot be the basis of a defense since it's too reliant on the other team's play. The defense softened after helping the Lions get out to that big lead, and that, combined with fewer mistakes being committed by Ponder and, later, Joe Webb, led to the Vikings being able to rip off some big plays of their own on offense. 

Before the Lions knew it, they were in a dog fight without the hunter's mentality.

Joe Webb Befuddled the Defense

The Lions planned their game around Christian Ponder being the Vikings quarterback. He more or less lived up to their expectations. But, after—what else—a foolish late hit personal foul, Ponder was taken out of the game in favor of backup Joe Webb.

And Webb, with his added mobility, started avoiding the Lions rushers and shredding the Lions secondary...when he wasn't running for first downs and touchdowns. Certainly, Webb made his fair share of mistakes and ended up coughing up the fumble on the final play of the game, but the Lions defense wasn't prepared for him, and it showed for much of the second half. 

What Run Defense?

Joe Webb's scrambling out of the pocket for big runs aside, the Lions had significant trouble defending against Vikings running back Toby Gerhart. Even Ponder was quite capable of running for first downs when flushed from the pocket.

In short, the Lions run defense still stunk on Sunday. The Vikings, when down big, didn't wholly commit to the pass and kept letting Gerhart run it up the gut. The Lions, perhaps playing too much pass, perhaps just being themselves against the run, couldn't stop him, which led them to need more men in the box to just keep the run in check. This exposed holes in the secondary caused by the injuries to Louis Delmas and Chris Houston, which the Vikings then exploited.

Trouble Maintaining Pressure on the Quarterback

Early in the game, as the Lions were building their sizable lead, the Lions were constantly in Christian Ponder's face, getting three sacks on the quarterback, including the one that was recovered in the end zone on Minnesota's first play from scrimmage.

Then, the pressure just sort of vanished, along with the Lions' comfortable lead. Ponder and later Webb were able to escape what little pressure they faced as the Lions struggled to hold on. Part of this was the absence of Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley, but more of it had to do with the Lions generally easing up the pressure on defense after their lead grew seemingly insurmountable.

Once you lose that intensity it's almost impossible to regain it. The Lions learned that first hand on Sunday. They're just very lucky that the lesson didn't cost them this much-needed win.