How the Vikings Players to Watch vs. Lions Fared
Before this week’s game, I picked out some Vikings players to watch in Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions — men I thought were worth keeping an extra close eye on and would have big or under-the-radar performances.
The Vikings fell to a crushing defeat as the Lions got their first win of the season, leaving head coach Mike Zimmer and the Minnesota Vikings season on the brink.
Where do the Vikings go from here? I honestly don’t know. It’s a short week as they face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football. A win could keep the season alive, but who even wants the hope anymore?
Back to the Lions game, how did my Vikings players to watch fare in this one?
Justin Jefferson
I predicted Justin Jefferson would push towards the 200 receiving yards mark in this one, and he did. He didn’t quite get there, falling 18 yards short with 182 yards. He also had one carry for four yards and an incomplete pass attempt, where he did well to get a pass away, as it looked like he would be tackled as he received the ball from Kirk Cousins. With a defender hanging from his leg, he still got the pass away.
It was a massive day for the Vikings wideout, who topped off the performance with a late touchdown catch. Sadly, Jefferson’s biggest yardage game of his NFL career was wasted. Jefferson is a bonafide superstar whose talent is currently being wasted in Minnesota, and that situation needs rectifying quickly. Jefferson isn’t a person who is happy with individual stats, as he showed with his postgame comments. This is a man who wants to win.
Kene Nwangwu
Kene Nwangwu enjoyed his most touches on offense in his short NFL career. Unfortunately, they didn’t add up to much.
He had two rushes. One went for a single yard, the other went for -1, giving him net yardage of zero. He also had two targets in the passing game, catching both for fours yards. His first catch was for six yards while the other went backward for -2. An unsuccessful two-point conversion attempt rounded out a disappointing day.
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The highlight of the game for Nwangwu was a 44-yard kick return. We didn’t see the excitement we were hoping for, but there will be another chance next week. Dalvin Cook won’t be back, so there should be another four touches at least on Thursday night.
Sheldon Richardson
As expected, Sheldon Richardson lined up as a starter at his new position of defensive end. It wasn’t a good day for the banged-up Vikings defense, as they gave up 29 points to the Lions offense — the first time the Lions had scored more than 20 points since Week 1.
Richardson had just three tackles in the game and not much else. The game turned into a disaster on defense for the Vikings. It actually started well, with the turnover on downs and forcing a 3-and-out on the Lions’ first two drives.
The rest of the first half was horrible. The Vikings defense turned up for the second half and played well. A Cameron Dantzler interception and a Blake Lynch forced fumble and recovery in the 4th quarter seemed to have the Vikings well set.
Then came the final drive of the game, when Zimmer rolled out the prevent defense we’ve become accustomed to. I absolutely despise it.
The Vikings failed to pressure Jared Goff as he took his team down the field for the win. I can’t be critical of Richardson and the rest of the defensive line, as they weren’t put in a position to be able to create any pressure. Like a lot of things, it was all on Zimmer.
Also Read: The One for the Vikings That Got Away
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