Instant reaction: Vikings squeak by Lions 19-17 to avoid devastating collapse
Greg Joseph's 54-yard kick as time expired salvaged victory from a last-minute meltdown
By Sam Ekstrom
MINNEAPOLIS — If the Vikings were looking for a well-rounded performance that allowed them to coast through the fourth quarter against an inferior team… they didn’t exactly get that.
Instead, Minnesota avoided utter disaster — and perhaps a loss that might’ve cost people jobs — with a Greg Joseph 54-yard field goal as the clock ran out. Vikings 19, Lions 17, in an ugly one at U.S. Bank Stadium.
How it got to that point was inexcusable on the Vikings’ part.
Leading 16-6 after a Greg Joseph 55-yard field goal, the Vikings seemed to be on cruise control, but after allowing the Lions to drive for a field goal, Alexander Mattison fumbled the ball with 1:51 remaining when the Vikings could’ve iced it, setting up the Lions at the Vikings’ 20-yard line. The Lions, with nothing to lose, scored a quick touchdown and boldly went for two. Jared Goff made his best throw of the day to KhaDarel Hodge in the back of the end zone, giving the listless Lions a 17-16 lead with 37 seconds to go.
Cousins found Adam Thielen twice on a last-ditch drive to set up Joseph for the winner. It was arguably the first time all day the Vikings offense showed any urgency.
The Vikings got booed several times on offense thanks to a second straight offensive effort that left much to be desired. Kirk Cousins and Klint Kubiak may be equally culpable on a day where the Vikings generated just 6.0 yards per play and only one touchdown.
It started with the Vikings settling for field goals on their first two drives thanks to ill-timed penalties and conservative play-calling. That was followed by Minnesota drives heading into and coming out of halftime that resulted in zero first downs when they could’ve put Detroit away fast. And it continued as Cousins threw a late third quarter interception that kept the Lions within a score.
Cousins finished 24 for 35 with 275 yards, one touchdown and one interception, a second lackluster outing after three straight good ones to start the year. The eye test needs to be applied to this one despite a stat line that gives him almost 300 yards.
Justin Jefferson was unstoppable when targeted and Alexander Mattison rushed for over 100 yards, yet the Vikings couldn’t parlay that into much meaningful output. Cousins was inaccurate on shorter throws and, until the end, didn’t have his usual chemistry with Thielen, who dropped a ball and had another catch called back due to penalty. Several other Cousins passes were dangerously deflected, and he left a third down end zone throw to Dede Westbrook short.
His lone touchdown pass came on a short second-quarter pass to Alexander Mattison, who fought for yards after the catch and got a good push from two linemen into the end zone. At the time it staked Minnesota to a 13-3 lead, but Cousins and Co. couldn’t do much after that to make the game more comfortable.
Through all the Vikings offensive woes, Detroit never showed an inkling to steal the game until the Vikings gift-wrapped them a chance at the end.
Jared Goff, bereft of any receiving talent with Quintez Cephus getting hurt during the game, finished with an average yards per attempt of 5.8. Though the Lions’ rushing attack averaged a solid 4.5 yards per carry, Goff couldn’t extend drives as Detroit finished three of 11 on third down. Twice, Goff turned it over in Vikings territory, foiling a decent second-half drive with an interception thrown to Eric Kendricks and fumbling it away on an Everson Griffen strip sack in the first half.
Miraculous still in the game in the fourth quarter, the Lions finally took advantage with field goal and touchdown drives after it looked like they would never sniff the Vikings red zone again.
It’s hard for the Vikings defense to boast too much after this one, even before the late TD. The defensive backs were a mixed bag, as Patrick Peterson broke up a couple balls on third down but missed a key tackle that extended an eventual field goal drive. Bashaud Breeland was penalized once and picked on occasionally in coverage, too.
Perhaps the top performer on defense was Everson Griffen, who received his first start of the year and took rookie Penei Sewell to school. He sacked Goff twice in a row in the first quarter, the second of which forced the ball loose for James Lynch to recover.
Anthony Barr wasn’t heard from much in his return to the starting lineup, but he also wasn’t a liability. He appeared to play every snap, which might have been the biggest hurdle to clear.
There was another intriguing debut with Christian Darrisaw getting three drives at left tackle in a rotation with Rashod Hill. Reporters weren’t told that Darrisaw would get any reps, so the insertion was a mild surprise. Darrisaw appeared to hold up well, which is likely to lead to increased workload going forward. Hill had a hard time again holding up in pass blocking.
Bottom line: Fans can be more excited to watch the Panthers game next Sunday with a chance to get to .500, but there’s not a ton to be encouraged about after nearly blowing a game to Detroit.
Joseph’s boot earned redemption for himself after his game-losing miss in Week 2, and it may have saved the Vikings season. Possibly their coach as well.
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Is it wrong that I feel disappointed the Vikes didn't lose?
Mattison's stat line is super misleading, you take away his longest run, and he averaged less than 3 yards per carry and had the crucial fumble. Really disappointing effort all around.