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The Minnesota Vikings experienced a tough loss to the Lions, falling at the hands of a tough one-two punch. But the close loss by the Vikings against a Super Bowl contender doesn’t prove they are in that race themselves.
Late in the game, the Vikings made a nice comeback from an 11-point halftime deficit. They took a 29-28 lead on Ivan Pace Jr.’s 36-yard fumble return with 5:50 left in the game. However, the Lions countered with a 44-yard game-winning field goal off the foot of Jake Bates.
The Lions had the game under control, but a fluky turnover and defensive touchdown gave the Vikings a chance for the steal. The total yardage numbers were close and the Vikings stood up well, but the evidence didn’t show they have the better team.
Vikings RB Aaron Jones had a nice game
Jones authored another strong effort in the loss. He carried 14 times for 93 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown scamper early in the game. He also had three catches for 23 yards to give him 116 total yards.
But Jones said the Vikings didn’t close the right way, according to vikings.com.
“That's 4-minute football right there, and you don't want to give them the ball back,” he said. “I've got to be better in situational ball. Definitely want to stay on the field and just run that time out and let our defense relax.”
Jones’ teammate, star receiver Justin Jefferson, agreed with his assessment. He added the Vikings also left an important two points off the board.
“Getting that 2-point conversion, that would have helped tremendously,” Jefferson said. “Getting that third down would have helped tremendously. There are plays being left out on the field,” Jefferson said. “But it's no single person's fault. You know, we've all got to be dialed in as an entire team, (all three phases), and come to work.”
Vikings’ head coach Kevin O’Connell said the missed opportunity mattered.
“Just one of those things where you look back on it and those are the types of things, to get those two points would be massive in that moment,” O’Connell said. “Just some of the plays down the stretch, we've got to be able to pitch and catch. Got to be able to have the execution on a [third-and-4].”
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Close calls don’t make Super Bowl contenders
Yes, the Vikings took a step forward in a sense by standing toe to toe with the Lions. But playing at home, they needed to capture this game. They needed to finish it off. Standing at 6-0 with a win over the well-respected Lions, the Vikings could have changed some perspectives about what they bring to the field.
But it didn’t happen. Quarterback Sam Darnold had good numbers, completing 22 of 27 passes for 259 yards. But he didn’t make the big plays, hitting one touchdown and throwing one critical interception.
O’Connell said Darnold played pretty well, according to the Vikings’ YouTube page.
“Sam made so many good decisions today, threw so many highly competitive throws to give our guys chances, touchdown to Justin included, and they got us on that one,” O’Connell said.
Kevin O’Connell stands up for his team
The little things made the biggest difference, O'Connell admitted.
“Really good teams, you’re not just gonna steamroll through the game and have perfect plays on every play,” O’Connell said. “But you better make sure it’s them that’s causing some of those things to happen, instead of some of the self-inflicted things. What I want to see is those little things that really good teams do to give yourself the best chance to win football games like this.
“Championship-caliber teams are gonna look inward at the first sign of adversity. We were able to do that in-game, come back, and get the lead. But I challenge everybody to look inward and see if we can do just a little bit more. Can we be a little bit cleaner across the board? Because I have a ton of confidence in our team, our players, and how we work, to continue to grow and get better. It’s gonna be a long season.”
O’Connell said his team needs to give the opponent less help, according to athlonsports.com.
“When you’re trying to win at the level we’re trying to win against anybody we play, we can’t do anything to help good football teams out,” O'Connell said. “There were some flat-out things that just can’t happen. I don’t know if our guys were pressing.
“What I wanna see is those little things. Those little things that really good teams do to give yourself the best chance to win football games like this.”
