Vikings @ Lions

[Crax]

That was a tough loss. Plenty of blame to go around. Off to LA for a rematch.

I slightly chuckle when I think about if the Vikings can come up with a miracle and beat the Rams + Lions(the ol saying it's hard to beat the same team 3 times in a year), they'd likely go on the road to Philadelphia for the NFC championship game. Stop me if you've heard this joke already.

[CharVike]

That was a very illuminating loss.

Darnold was terrible. That is the Sam Darnold that bounced around the league for years and ended up signing a $10 million, one year deal as a placeholder QB. To be fair to him, he didn't get much help from his teammates or his head coach, but he had chances to connect for some scores and he punted every chance. He did not rise to the occasion when the team needed him the most.

But as mentioned, he was far from alone.

KOC... I used to criticize Dan Campbell for his emotional, somewhat irrational decision-making. But it was KOC's turn tonight to play Mr. Big Balls. You are on the road. You take the points. You still might lose (and probably would have tonight regardless), but you get those precious points. And the multiple delay of games. The failure to adjust to the Lions' pressure schemes in any way. It was easily his worst performance as the head coach this year. What a time to have it.

Will Reichard... What the heck was that kickoff at the end of the 1st half? Costly. Misses another kick wide right. His counterpart executed. Again, not the difference but easily could have been.

The defense... For the most part I thought they actually came to play, but again, as they have all year, they go into that dumb zone and give up easy throws. I hate that zone. Why Flores ever runs that is beyond me. It never works, except for the other team.

Otherwise, I won't rag on the defense too much. They were not great, but got zero help from the offense.

But I save the worst unit for last, and that is the Vikings receivers. These guys are among the best in the league? These guys? Yeah, the depleted Lions, who are literally down to their last secondary player, completely shut down the Vikings passing game all night. Nobody can beat the 3rd stringers in the Lions secondary I guess. Multiple drops. Just not beating coverage. Yeah, Darnold sucked too, and I don't want to take anything away from how bad he was, but the supposed best receiver in the NFL was completely neutralized all night. Addison couldn't do anything. Hockenson was a non-factor. I felt like a successful Vikings offensive play was 3 yards passing or running. They let the Lions defense blitz and never burned it once.

The 2024 Vikings are the same frauds as the 2022 Vikings. Maybe they're statistically better but they will fold in the end just the same. Lucy pulls the ball out on us yet again...

Jefferson should have caught that TD pass in the back of the end zone. Plus can't get open against a nothing CB. That kickoff by Willow was a choke job as was that terrible FG miss. Darnold was off but Goff made plenty of bad passes including intentional grounding that wasn't called. We had nothing in the red zone. IMO that falls on KOC and his lack of preparation. He was out coached and showed zero ability to adjust. The game was too big for him. We were destroyed at the point on both sides and when that happens this is what you get. Looked like the Lions knew every play.

[CharVike]

That was a tough loss. Plenty of blame to go around. Off to LA for a rematch.

I slightly chuckle when I think about if the Vikings can come up with a miracle and beat the Rams + Lions(the ol saying it's hard to beat the same team 3 times in a year), they'd likely go on the road to Philadelphia for the NFC championship game. Stop me if you've heard this joke already.

They don't want to go on the road to Philly. I think LA will dump us anyway unless miracle 2 is in the works.

[Cliff]

I have to address the refs because it was the most annoying part of the game for me. I'm not saying the Vikings would have definitely won if not for the crazy amount of missed calls, but there is a good chance it would have been much closer. The holding that nearly only got called when it wasn't needed anyway, like on a completed pass. The intentional grounding for a safety that never was. There is a difference between playing receivers physically and blatant pass interferences like the on this play happened quite a bit:



Things like a face mask that wasn't called in key situations:



The Vikings did plenty to cost themselves the game: Sam's bad accuracy. Jefferson dropping a TD. The kicker not able to properly kickoff. Blown opportunities in the red zone. But the refs made it lop-sided by allowing the Lions to illegally take the receivers out of the game. That had a huge domino effect. Holding a receiver for even an extra second or two is a huge deal. Darnold has to hold the ball longer because receivers aren't where they're supposed to be which leads to sacks.

It's difficult for me to tell how much was a problem with Darnold and how much was an issue with the timing of plays. Things take longer to develop when the defenders are allowed to hold and grab all night.

[VikingLord]

I slightly chuckle when I think about if the Vikings can come up with a miracle and beat the Rams + Lions(the ol saying it's hard to beat the same team 3 times in a year), they'd likely go on the road to Philadelphia for the NFC championship game. Stop me if you've heard this joke already.

They don't want to go on the road to Philly. I think LA will dump us anyway unless miracle 2 is in the works.

It all comes down to Darnold's ability to execute fairly straightforward throws. How many times did he miss open guys in the redzone? Sure, the Lions got some pressure, but those plays were there to be made and he just flat out missed them, mostly by throwing high. He was consistent in that regard all night. Can't do that as a QB.

What bugs me about it the most is he's played at such a high level all year, but this is what will define him, especially if he repeats the performance against the Rams. Here is a guy who can clearly play the game at a high level and who has battled in critical situations all year and made plays, but who, in the biggest game, suddenly looks lost and incompetent. What a shame. It does underline who Sam Darnold has been as a pro QB his entire career, however. He had challenged that narrative this season but I'm afraid that Cinderella story has reached its conclusion. Here's hoping he proves me wrong.

[makila]

I have to address the refs because it was the most annoying part of the game for me. I'm not saying the Vikings would have definitely won if not for the crazy amount of missed calls, but there is a good chance it would have been much closer. The holding that nearly only got called when it wasn't needed anyway, like on a completed pass. The intentional grounding for a safety that never was. There is a difference between playing receivers physically and blatant pass interferences like the on this play
.....

Yeah the Lions basically said we are going to play very grabby against the pass catchers and see if the refs call any of it, and they didn't.

[Cliff]

I have to address the refs because it was the most annoying part of the game for me. I'm not saying the Vikings would have definitely won if not for the crazy amount of missed calls, but there is a good chance it would have been much closer. The holding that nearly only got called when it wasn't needed anyway, like on a completed pass. The intentional grounding for a safety that never was. There is a difference between playing receivers physically and blatant pass interferences like the on this play
.....

Yeah the Lions basically said we are going to play very grabby against the pass catchers and see if the refs call any of it, and they didn't.

Yup. At some point the announcers were talking about it. Something along the lines of "The Lions allow for some penalties to happen hoping to get away with it most of the time".

[CharVike]

They don't want to go on the road to Philly. I think LA will dump us anyway unless miracle 2 is in the works.

It all comes down to Darnold's ability to execute fairly straightforward throws. How many times did he miss open guys in the redzone? Sure, the Lions got some pressure, but those plays were there to be made and he just flat out missed them, mostly by throwing high. He was consistent in that regard all night. Can't do that as a QB.

What bugs me about it the most is he's played at such a high level all year, but this is what will define him, especially if he repeats the performance against the Rams. Here is a guy who can clearly play the game at a high level and who has battled in critical situations all year and made plays, but who, in the biggest game, suddenly looks lost and incompetent. What a shame. It does underline who Sam Darnold has been as a pro QB his entire career, however. He had challenged that narrative this season but I'm afraid that Cinderella story has reached its conclusion. Here's hoping he proves me wrong.

Darnold missed throws and it appeared most of them were high as you pointed out. The miss towards the right hand side of the end zone was bad. No team looks good when they get beat and usually the QB gets the blame. Yes he was off but the entire team was off. Ginkel had the almost pick that could have been a score. The Lions beat us twice this year and will probably do it again if we meet again. This one game doesn't define Darnold's career IMO. Just like this season doesn't when he took a team that had very little chance of having a winning record to the playoffs. Of course if we can't score a TD again next game then he will be a cheap signing for competition because no team will want him.

[CharVike]

OK, I was way off on the blowout prediction against the Fudgepackers, but here's how I see it tonight: Close game, lots of points and we pay them back with a 31-29 win. But we usually choke on the olive. God I hope I'm right. If not we go traveling....

Well you weren't way off on your original prediction because you hit one right on the money. But you were way off on your updated prediction. It's not hard to be way off with NFL predictions. I thought the Packers would destroy that Bear team. Couldn't even win.

[VikingLord]

This one game doesn't define Darnold's career IMO. Just like this season doesn't when he took a team that had very little chance of having a winning record to the playoffs.

You're right - one game does not a career make. But neither does one season, and one could credibly argue that it was not Darnold that took a team that had very little chance of having a winning record to the playoffs, but the other way around. Or, at the very least, one could argue that Darnold benefited as much from the team around him as the team benefited from Darnold.

I still wonder if Darnold isn't just another version of a Case Keenum or even a Josh Dobbs - a guy who has a well-established track record up to a point where he suddenly over-performs for a period of time. It can be just a few games (Nick Foles when the Eagles won the Superbowl), or most of a season, but make no mistake - it is over-performance and not sustainable.

After that 2017 season with Keenum the Vikings had to decide if they wanted to bring Keenum back or go in another direction. They elected another direction. Keenum went on to sign a big deal with the Broncos and then almost immediately reverted to the mean his career had been prior to the 2017 season. The cracks in Keenum's magic season also revealed themselves in the playoffs that year.

That was also a very improbable season both for that Vikings team and for Keenum personally. One wonders if history isn't repeating itself this year with Darnold and the Vikings.

[chicagopurple]

THAT was a crappy loss. We didnt lose because we had less talent. We lost because we had less Character. Our offense ( mostly the QB) was rattled from the first set of downs and under performed the entire game. They were playing against a completely depleted defense especially the secondary. Both our HC and DC also played like the proverbial deer in the headlights.
I cannot fault our defense. They guys on the field were ready and able. They only faltered when the DC got panicky and went into some weak defensive schemes later in the game. No excuse for this crappy performance, no whining about the refs.....Darnold and the coaches just lost their #### during the national anthem and never recovered.....

[CharVike]

This one game doesn't define Darnold's career IMO. Just like this season doesn't when he took a team that had very little chance of having a winning record to the playoffs.

You're right - one game does not a career make. But neither does one season, and one could credibly argue that it was not Darnold that took a team that had very little chance of having a winning record to the playoffs, but the other way around. Or, at the very least, one could argue that Darnold benefited as much from the team around him as the team benefited from Darnold.

I still wonder if Darnold isn't just another version of a Case Keenum or even a Josh Dobbs - a guy who has a well-established track record up to a point where he suddenly over-performs for a period of time. It can be just a few games (Nick Foles when the Eagles won the Superbowl), or most of a season, but make no mistake - it is over-performance and not sustainable.

After that 2017 season with Keenum the Vikings had to decide if they wanted to bring Keenum back or go in another direction. They elected another direction. Keenum went on to sign a big deal with the Broncos and then almost immediately reverted to the mean his career had been prior to the 2017 season. The cracks in Keenum's magic season also revealed themselves in the playoffs that year.

That was also a very improbable season both for that Vikings team and for Keenum personally. One wonders if history isn't repeating itself this year with Darnold and the Vikings.

I think Darnold benefited from everything that was around him including the coaches we hired. Every QB needs that. He might have suffered in the past from the opposite. Whatever they decide is ok with me. At least we have a young guy waiting for his chance to take over. We don't have to look beyond our own roster which is a great thing. I just hope we knock off this Ram team.

[J. Kapp 11]

I have to address the refs because it was the most annoying part of the game for me. I'm not saying the Vikings would have definitely won if not for the crazy amount of missed calls, but there is a good chance it would have been much closer. The holding that nearly only got called when it wasn't needed anyway, like on a completed pass. The intentional grounding for a safety that never was. There is a difference between playing receivers physically and blatant pass interferences like the on this play happened quite a bit:



Things like a face mask that wasn't called in key situations:



The Vikings did plenty to cost themselves the game: Sam's bad accuracy. Jefferson dropping a TD. The kicker not able to properly kickoff. Blown opportunities in the red zone. But the refs made it lop-sided by allowing the Lions to illegally take the receivers out of the game. That had a huge domino effect. Holding a receiver for even an extra second or two is a huge deal. Darnold has to hold the ball longer because receivers aren't where they're supposed to be which leads to sacks.

It's difficult for me to tell how much was a problem with Darnold and how much was an issue with the timing of plays. Things take longer to develop when the defenders are allowed to hold and grab all night.

Great post.

As John Madden said, and I’m paraphrasing: It ain’t a foul unless the refs call it.

That was the Detroit defensive game plan. Blitz every dropback, play man, and mug the receivers. I guess it worked.

[J. Kapp 11]

THAT was a crappy loss. We didnt lose because we had less talent. We lost because we had less Character. Our offense ( mostly the QB) was rattled from the first set of downs and under performed the entire game. They were playing against a completely deleted defense especially the secondary. Both our HC and DC also played like the proverbial deer in the headlights.
I cannot fault our defense. They guys on the field were ready and able. They only faltered when the DC got panicky and went into some weak defensive schemes later in the game. No excuse for this crappy perfomance, no whining about the refs.....Darnold and the coaches just lost their #### during the national anthem and never recovered.....

Four times in the red zone. Three times with first-and-goal. Six total points.

Kevin O’Connell, my favorite coach since Bud Grant, got worked.

[VikingLord]

THAT was a crappy loss. We didnt lose because we had less talent. We lost because we had less Character. Our offense ( mostly the QB) was rattled from the first set of downs and under performed the entire game. They were playing against a completely deleted defense especially the secondary. Both our HC and DC also played like the proverbial deer in the headlights.
I cannot fault our defense. They guys on the field were ready and able. They only faltered when the DC got panicky and went into some weak defensive schemes later in the game. No excuse for this crappy perfomance, no whining about the refs.....Darnold and the coaches just lost their #### during the national anthem and never recovered.....

Four times in the red zone. Three times with first-and-goal. Six total points.

Kevin O’Connell, my favorite coach since Bud Grant, got worked.

Yeah, KOC should have just called for runs and power football at some point. Having a jittery QB who wasn't accurate or decisive keep dropping back killed them, especially in those situations. With the way the Lions were gambling on defense the Vikings could have broken multiple big runs. They just had to keep trying, and maybe had they punched a few in on the ground that would have settled Darnold down. But for whatever reason KOC just had to have it his way and the team paid the price.

It will be really interesting to see how KOC calls the game against the Rams. If the Rams do anything differently from what the Lions defense just did I'll be shocked. I'll also be equally shocked if KOC puts the game into Darnold's hands, especially early. But there is a part of me that suspects KOC is going to try to send a message that he trusts Darnold and will just effectively bull rush the offense to show it can beat that defensive scheme. Good luck with that.