Lions @ Vikings post game

[Foreman44]

Fun game to watch.

Kirk had me cussing him but when the game was on the line he came through. It's what we've all been looking for.

I'm still skeptical of his ability to continually have that kind of success but he did today and I'll take it.

Cook being out is worrying.

He came through for the Vikings yesterday. Still not sold he is a QB that will put the team on his shoulders when the chips are down. I think yesterday we got lucky, and it’s the lions.

There is no team better than the lions at throwing wins away.

[Foreman44]

At the game, with my usual All-11 view from the end zone, 40th row. LOVE those seats.

Guys, don’t kid yourselves. Detroit is better than they’ve been in a long time. They’re VERY physical, especially in the defensive backfield. Honestly, the refs could’ve called them for holding, illegal contact or DPI on virtually every play. I was watching JJ a lot … he was being pressed, and he couldn’t break free. Thielen was held on almost every route he ran. It was frustrating, but credit to Dan Campbell. It’s almost as if his strategy was “we’re going to knock them around and count on the officials ‘letting them play.’”

I know a lot of you were ticked with Cousins. From where I sat, again from a perfect all-22 position, he had very few open receivers. The O-line did a decent job keeping him clean, but again the Lions were very physical in the secondary. Cousins did overthrow KJ Osborn on a sure TD I believe in the second quarter, but for the most part, he didn’t have many guys running free.

A lot of credit needs to go to KOC. He adjusted his game plan, not only from the Philly game, but also as this game rolled along. He could see they were running JJ off his routes, so he got Thielen some targets, the tight ends some targets, and Osborn late. He also got the running game back on track. Ben Leber interviewed KOC for the radio after the game and found that KOC and Wes Phillips were actually redesigning plays on the fly and even drawing up new ones. We never had that with the Kubiaks, Stefanski, Flip or Norv.

Mostly I’m happy that the Vikings overcame adversity. They got their butts kicked at Philly, and it didn’t look good early in this game. But they stayed with it and pulled out a tough division game. Need to improve some things before the Saints game. We had a heck of a time getting pressure on Goff … need to get pressure on Winston, who is very turnover prone when flushed.

Finally, a tip of the cap in thanks to Dan Campbell. The decision to try the long field goal was monumentally stupid, and the timeout he called after the 29-yard completion to KJ was a real head scratcher. Why let the Vikings regroup after a completion with the clock running? We likely would have clocked it there anyway. It looks to me that Campbell operates a lot on emotion. I’ll take it.

Bottom line: We’re 2-1 and in first place in a division that might not be as weak as the prognosticators thought. Now let’s beat the hated Saints.

Great post kapp. Love hearing quality analysis from you. We’ve beat the next two strongest teams in our division. That’s huge especially when playoff time comes. The saints have a good defense but a fairly weak offense. We need to capitalize against this team and put them away. There’s a very realistic possibility that we start off the season 4-1 heading into Miami. Love the resilience I saw in this team today. Especially when you look across the league. No game is a given. Hell KC lost to Indy who’s dropped games to Jacksonville and tied Houston. Couldn’t get out of their own way and somehow beat KC. No matter how down a team is and how well a team is playing, it really doesn’t matter come game time. You’ve gotta show up and fight for 4 quarters. Last week was a team loss, this week was 100% a team win

I second this about joe kapps Analysis

[J. Kapp 11]

Lol talking trash I see. Gg. Looking forward to the next one. Could also go either way.

Who’s talking trash?

Virtually every person who has posted said we were fortunate to win. I said the Lions are a lot better than they’ve been in a long time.

But let’s face it. Until Dan Campbell starts making better decisions, you’re gonna lose games you should win. The man is an emotional leader and great on Hard Knocks, but that doesn’t win football games. He blew that games yesterday.

[Texas Vike]

Anyone else notice Bullard in a good way yesterday? Seemed like he was getting pressure in the middle more than I expected. OTOH, the Lions' RBs gashed us pretty well, as I expected they would. Overall, our DL got less pressure than I would have hoped.

Our D absolutely sucked on 3rd and especially 4th down (which makes Campbell's fateful decision all the more confusing). We got very little pressure and our secondary just couldn't stay with Detroit's receivers, even after Amon-Ra got hurt. We made Josh freaking Reynolds look amazing.

We need to get pressure on Jameis. He will make mistakes if we hit him, but he can also play well against crappy Ds. I'm afraid we aren't that great and he might find the right conditions to cook.

[40for60]

Anyone else notice Bullard in a good way yesterday? Seemed like he was getting pressure in the middle more than I expected. OTOH, the Lions' RBs gashed us pretty well, as I expected they would. Overall, our DL got less pressure than I would have hoped.

Our D absolutely sucked on 3rd and especially 4th down (which makes Campbell's fateful decision all the more confusing). We got very little pressure and our secondary just couldn't stay with Detroit's receivers, even after Amon-Ra got hurt. We made Josh freaking Reynolds look amazing.

We need to get pressure on Jameis. He will make mistakes if we hit him, but he can also play well against crappy Ds. I'm afraid we aren't that great and he might find the right conditions to cook.

At least the game won’t be in the Superdump. While traveling to London presents challenges, it shouldn’t be as bad as a true away game.

[makila]

Lol talking trash I see. Gg. Looking forward to the next one. Could also go either way.

Who’s talking trash?

Virtually every person who has posted said we were fortunate to win. I said the Lions are a lot better than they’ve been in a long time.

But let’s face it. Until Dan Campbell starts making better decisions, you’re gonna lose games you should win. The man is an emotional leader and great on Hard Knocks, but that doesn’t win football games. He blew that games yesterday.

Yeah most every viking fan I interacted with said...welp... glad to win that one!

[VikingsVictorious]

Who’s talking trash?

Virtually every person who has posted said we were fortunate to win. I said the Lions are a lot better than they’ve been in a long time.

But let’s face it. Until Dan Campbell starts making better decisions, you’re gonna lose games you should win. The man is an emotional leader and great on Hard Knocks, but that doesn’t win football games. He blew that games yesterday.

Yeah most every viking fan I interacted with said...welp... glad to win that one!

I'll talk some trash. It's stinky, unsightly and attracts all sorts of undesirable creatures.

[StumpHunter]

Anyone else notice Bullard in a good way yesterday? Seemed like he was getting pressure in the middle more than I expected. OTOH, the Lions' RBs gashed us pretty well, as I expected they would. Overall, our DL got less pressure than I would have hoped.

Our D absolutely sucked on 3rd and especially 4th down (which makes Campbell's fateful decision all the more confusing). We got very little pressure and our secondary just couldn't stay with Detroit's receivers, even after Amon-Ra got hurt. We made Josh freaking Reynolds look amazing.

We need to get pressure on Jameis. He will make mistakes if we hit him, but he can also play well against crappy Ds. I'm afraid we aren't that great and he might find the right conditions to cook.

The Lions Oline was supposed to be one of the worst in the NFL going into the game, but it sure didn't seem like it. I thought Hunter played well but haven't seen the pressure stats yet. Wonnum did nothing except be a liability in the run game and Z had his most quiet game of the season so far. The interior guys didn't seem like they got any push at all.

Surprisingly, the Vikings were actually very good on 3rd down yesterday on defense, with the Lions going 3-16. The issue was 4th down, but even there the two stops on 4th were game changers.

People had a lot of expectations for this defense that aren't being met, but it came up big yesterday at times, creating multiple short fields to give the offense an easier shot at scoring. This is a bend don't break defense that breaks far too often early on, but seems to play better as the game goes on.

[StanM]

Anyone else notice Bullard in a good way yesterday? Seemed like he was getting pressure in the middle more than I expected. OTOH, the Lions' RBs gashed us pretty well, as I expected they would. Overall, our DL got less pressure than I would have hoped.

Our D absolutely sucked on 3rd and especially 4th down (which makes Campbell's fateful decision all the more confusing). We got very little pressure and our secondary just couldn't stay with Detroit's receivers, even after Amon-Ra got hurt. We made Josh freaking Reynolds look amazing.

We need to get pressure on Jameis. He will make mistakes if we hit him, but he can also play well against crappy Ds. I'm afraid we aren't that great and he might find the right conditions to cook.

The Lions Oline was supposed to be one of the worst in the NFL going into the game, but it sure didn't seem like it. I thought Hunter played well but haven't seen the pressure stats yet. Wonnum did nothing except be a liability in the run game and Z had his most quiet game of the season so far. The interior guys didn't seem like they got any push at all.

Surprisingly, the Vikings were actually very good on 3rd down yesterday on defense, with the Lions going 3-16. The issue was 4th down, but even there the two stops on 4th were game changers.

People had a lot of expectations for this defense that aren't being met, but it came up big yesterday at times, creating multiple short fields to give the offense an easier shot at scoring. This is a bend don't break defense that breaks far too often early on, but seems to play better as the game goes on.

The Vikings should improve on both sides of the ball but once they gel as a team it’s hard to predict their true potential. That is going to take a few more games to figure out but they found a way to win, something that was lacking last year.

[Pondering Her Percy]

One thing I will say that's really starting to stick out to me, I think this offensive line is really starting to gel. As bad as Bradbury has been, he's not even sticking out like a sore thumb to me. Not that he's been great by any means but it doesnt seem like he's having severe lapses. Darrisaw and O'Neill have been studs. Cleveland has been solid. Ingram has a few lapses but been solid for a rookie and is exceptional in the run game. And Bradbury for the most part has blended in. We're still giving up more pressures than I'd like, but this is the best the OL has looked in a while (knock on wood).

[Pondering Her Percy]

The Lions Oline was supposed to be one of the worst in the NFL going into the game, but it sure didn't seem like it. I thought Hunter played well but haven't seen the pressure stats yet. Wonnum did nothing except be a liability in the run game and Z had his most quiet game of the season so far. The interior guys didn't seem like they got any push at all.

Surprisingly, the Vikings were actually very good on 3rd down yesterday on defense, with the Lions going 3-16. The issue was 4th down, but even there the two stops on 4th were game changers.

People had a lot of expectations for this defense that aren't being met, but it came up big yesterday at times, creating multiple short fields to give the offense an easier shot at scoring. This is a bend don't break defense that breaks far too often early on, but seems to play better as the game goes on.

The Vikings should improve on both sides of the ball but once they gel as a team it’s hard to predict their true potential. That is going to take a few more games to figure out but they found a way to win, something that was lacking last year.

Agreed, I can see this team being real dangerous as they continue to gel. Realizing they dont have to force feed JJ, spread the ball around more, have a good mix of run and pass, etc. Defensively, they need to have better first halves. But I do think this is going to take some time to gel but it's slowly coming along.

[VikingLord]

Sorry in advance for what is going to be a downer post, but is anyone else getting concerned at the inability of the Vikings offense to sustain drives? They were 2-9 for the game, partially contributing to a whopping disparity of only 25:56 in TOP compared to the Lions' 34:04.

No explosive plays until the very end when they literally had no choice. I know Kirk overthrew Osborne on the one play, but the offense continues to under-perform with largely safe, conservative throws. This is 3 regular season games now where this pattern has repeated. They got away with it against the Packers mostly because the Packers didn't bother covering JJ and he got a lot of YAC as a result, but Cousins is rarely looking downfield.

While the result was favorable, the Vikings were largely outplayed for most of the game yesterday. I can understand that to a degree on the road against Philly, and while the Lions are a much better team than they were last year, I expected the Vikings to come out much sharper and ready to play on Sunday only to watch them dominated in the first quarter. The crowd was as silent as I think I've ever seen them through much of that time.

I'll give the Vikings credit for getting back into it, but as others noted, Dan Campbell seemed to do his part to help that.

This team really seems like the same team we watched most of last year. Incredibly streaky on both sides of the ball and consistently inconsistent. Maybe they will clean some things up, but honestly if nobody told me who the head coach of the Vikings was I can honestly say I'm still watching the 2021 Zimmer-led Vikings.

[JJBreaksRecords]

Sorry in advance for what is going to be a downer post, but is anyone else getting concerned at the inability of the Vikings offense to sustain drives? They were 2-9 for the game, partially contributing to a whopping disparity of only 25:56 in TOP compared to the Lions' 34:04.

No explosive plays until the very end when they literally had no choice. I know Kirk overthrew Osborne on the one play, but the offense continues to under-perform with largely safe, conservative throws. This is 3 regular season games now where this pattern has repeated. They got away with it against the Packers mostly because the Packers didn't bother covering JJ and he got a lot of YAC as a result, but Cousins is rarely looking downfield.

While the result was favorable, the Vikings were largely outplayed for most of the game yesterday. I can understand that to a degree on the road against Philly, and while the Lions are a much better team than they were last year, I expected the Vikings to come out much sharper and ready to play on Sunday only to watch them dominated in the first quarter. The crowd was as silent as I think I've ever seen them through much of that time.

I'll give the Vikings credit for getting back into it, but as others noted, Dan Campbell seemed to do his part to help that.

This team really seems like the same team we watched most of last year. Incredibly streaky on both sides of the ball and consistently inconsistent. Maybe they will clean some things up, but honestly if nobody told me who the head coach of the Vikings was I can honestly say I'm still watching the 2021 Zimmer-led Vikings.

Good post. You dont have to apologize for telling things like it is, because some people think everything is fine with this team.

[Pondering Her Percy]

No explosive plays until the very end when they literally had no choice. I know Kirk overthrew Osborne on the one play, but the offense continues to under-perform with largely safe, conservative throws. This is 3 regular season games now where this pattern has repeated. They got away with it against the Packers mostly because the Packers didn't bother covering JJ and he got a lot of YAC as a result, but Cousins is rarely looking downfield.

I dont think that's necessarily the case when it comes to Cousins looking downfield. When they showed zoomed out replays on TV you noticed a lot of WRs going deep but nothing really being there. Sometimes I get worried that we often send too many deep and have no safety net underneath. This happened on at least one of those zero blitzes against Philly. But either way, the announcers said it as well as Kapp. There just wasnt much downfield yesterday. I definitely saw multiple instances where Cousins was looking to them but nothing was there. Supposedly rumor has it KOC and Phillips were drawing up their own off-script plays mid game to adjust to what they were doing and scheme other guys open.

I'm honestly not worried about it until I see more. Some fans arent acting like we're 2-1 but like we're 0-3. We're 2-1 guys and 2-0 in the division. I expected a slow start given the new staff. Let's hope this team continues to gel each week and get hot.

[chicagopurple]

This one wasn't televised in my area, and I'm not spending any money for NFL products. Sounds like it started ugly and ended well.

Yeah, most of the game was NOT quality football, definitely not worth paying for.....the nfl app for 9.99$ a month lets you watch all games, albeit, many times after its finished. This game deserves only to be watch in the condensed for, no commercials....