Detroit Lions: 5 Players Who Made the Biggest Contributions in Sunday's Win

The Detroit Lions 34-28 victory over the Minnesota Vikings was not without its flaws.

The Lions offense was anemic in the second half and the defense allowed the Vikings to crawl back into the game, but enough plays were made to move this team to 8-5 and keep Detroit firmly in the playoff race.

As always, some players made bigger contributions than others, and most of those names come on defense for a change.

Stars like Calvin Johnson, Kyle Vanden Bosch and the suspended Ndamukong Suh stepped out of the spotlight in order to make room for lesser known Lions.

Let's look at the five players who made the biggest contributions to the victory over Minnesota.

5. Eric Wright

Eric Wright was overshadowed by Alphonso Smith and rightfully so, but he still posted some impressive statistics against Minnesota.

Wright finished the Week 13 contest with four total tackles and one interception.

Minnesota's passing game was non-existent overall with only 156 yards, but that should not take away from the play of Wright.

This game proved a nice rebound from his embarrassing performance against the New Orleans Saints last week on Sunday Night Football.

Detroit needs more interceptions like today, and fewer spin-o-rama's like Wright was given by Saints receiver Robert Meachem.

4. Matthew Stafford

Matthew Stafford and the Lions' passing game went cold in the second half, but in the first half they were on fire.

Stafford had two touchdown passes in the first quarter, hitting both Brandon Pettigrew and Titus Young for scores.

Detroit's quarterback did not post exceptional numbers, but they were more than enough to earn a victory.

Stafford finished the game with 20 completions, 227 yards passing and those previously mentioned two touchdowns.

It appears any effects from his finger injury are gone and his accuracy is at its best.

Hopefully this trend continues as the Lions further their playoff push.

3. Cliff Avril

Cliff Avril was an absolute beast against the Vikings.

He was in Christian Ponder's face early in the game, even forcing a fumble in violent fashion on a pass attempt.

Avril finished the game with eight total tackles, two sacks and the aforementioned forced fumble.

His play early in the game gave Detroit much-needed momentum and set the stage for the Lions' defensive effort for the majority of the contest.

With seven sacks on the season, Avril is asserting himself as a valuable weapon in the Lions' defensive line.

2. Alphonso Smith

Alphonso Smith made his presence felt against the Vikings and he did it in a big way.

The Detroit cornerback had two interceptions and a touchdown.

It was the kind of career day that was needed by both Smith and the Lions.

Smith had zero interceptions for the season coming into the Week 13 matchup with Minnesota and only eight total tackles.

His interception return gave the Lions a 28-7 lead that they would later squander, but putting those points on the board still mattered on the road to victory. Hopefully Smith continues this elevated level of play.

1. DeAndre Levy

Against Minnesota, DeAndre Levy was not the tackling machine that we have come to expect throughout this season.

He finished the game with only four total tackles.

But Levy made an enormous contribution to the win on the final play of the game as he caused Vikings quarterback Joe Webb to fumble the ball near the goal line. 

The referees may have clearly missed a facemask penalty on the play, but Levy still did what was required in order to keep Minnesota out of the end zone.

The Lions now have momentum moving forward and can be proud of their 8-5 record.

This was a huge win for Detroit and linebacker DeAndre Levy was an integral part of it.