5 Takeaways from the Minnesota Vikings’ Stunning Win over the Detroit Lions
Coming off a two-game losing streak, the Minnesota Vikings headed into Week 9 they would be able to turn things around.
Their date with the Detroit Lions would prove to be a tough way to do that though as Detroit has won five consecutive games against the Vikings. However, with one of the best all-around performances of the season by this team, Minnesota was able to pull of a stunning upset. Here are five takeaways from the Vikings’ win.
J.J. McCarthy Can Lead This Team
It wasn’t a perfect outing by any means for J.J. McCarthy, but he did just enough to get a win against a big time contender in the NFC while on the road. That’s a big deal and something that most quarterbacks have not been able to do over the past few years.
McCarthy made a couple ugly mistakes, including an interception at the end of the second half that gave Detroit solid field position and missing multiple open receivers with high throws, but we still have to keep in mind this was just his third career NFL start and first since Week 2 of this season.
When it really mattered, though, McCarthy made sure the Vikings offense responded to anything the Lions threw at them. He didn’t let things get off the rails when Detroit jumped out to an early lead with a seamless opening drive touchdown. Instead, he himself led the Vikings with the perfect response and their own touchdown. Then, when the game was on the line, McCarthy made the throw of the day to Jalen Nailor to seal the win.
Aaron Jones’ Resurgence
While McCarthy deserves a lot of credit for showing up to play on Sunday, the Vikings likely don’t win this game without Aaron Jones’ effort. The running back totaled 11 touches for 98 total yards, including five first downs.
The play that really stands out from Jones came on that opening drive when he made a screen pass turn into 14 yards on 3rd and 9 before McCarthy hit Jefferson for the touchdown. Without Jones’ ability to fight for extra yardage, that drive stalls out as a field goal, and who knows where this game ends up from there. Jones also had a 31-yard run on 2nd and 15 in the second quarter on a drive that turned into a field goal at the end of the first half.
Jones had his fingerprints all over Minnesota’s drives on Sunday, and the Vikings will need to continue seeing that impact from their running backs moving forward.
Myles Price Might Be the Best Return Man in the League
UDFA Myles Price continues to prove that he is one of the best return men in the entire NFL, and he had another big day on Sunday. Price paved the way for a touchdown on Minnesota’s opening drive of the game with a 61-yard kick return that set the Vikings up at Detroit’s 35.
Later in the game, he would have added a 99-yard return touchdown to his resume if it were not for a penalty by Tavierre Thomas that would have given the Vikings massive momentum heading into the fourth quarter.
The Best Performance Yet By the Defensive Front
Minnesota’s defensive front has received a lot of criticism so far this season, so when they perform up to their capabilities, they deserve to get credit for that as well. The return of Andrew Van Ginkel seemed to open things up for Brian Flores in terms of play calling as the Vikings put tons of pressure on Jared Goff all afternoon.
Additionally, the Vikings put together an extremely impressive effort with their run defense. Jahmyr Gibbs was held to just 25 yards on his nine carries, and David Montgomery wasn’t much better with his 11 carries going for 40 yards and a goal line touchdown.
If this is the defensive effort that we see from the Vikings for the rest of the season, this team most certainly can compete in the NFC.
The NFC North Is Wide Open Again
Minnesota has crept its way back into the NFC North race with their win over the Lions, sitting just one game behind the Chicago Bears and Detroit with tiebreakers over both of them. Meanwhile, the Green Bay Packers also lost on Sunday to the Carolina Panthers, falling to 5-2-1 on the year.
The Vikings have matchups with Chicago and Green Bay later this month, and if the Vikings win those games, there is a real chance that they are in first place in the NFC North by the time November ends. There is still a lot of work to be done before that can happen, but the NFC North is a wide open race right now.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
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