In their Week 16 game at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Minnesota Vikings had a fantastic opportunity to strengthen their position in the NFC playoff structure and scare the Detroit Lions.
The Lions were a little nervous at the end of the game, but they held off the Vikings in this crucial NFC North game. In a game that came down to Minnesota’s final possession, the Lions won 30-24.
Late in the fourth quarter, the Vikings had a chance to win after Justin Jefferson made a 28-yard spectacular reception on a 3rd-and-27 play and Brandon Powell followed with a 26-yard reception.
However, on a first-down play from the Detroit 30, Nick Mullens launched a deep pass to Jefferson, which was intercepted by Ifeatu Melifonwu and sealed the game for the visitors.
Mullens’ interception was his fourth of the game, and he certainly deserves some of the blame for the loss. He did, however, throw for 411 yards and two touchdowns, and he deserves credit for his competitive effort against a strong opponent.
Mullens did not show the patience required to complete the comeback victory on that crucial interception. After Powell’s catch, the Vikings still had nearly a minute to cover the final 30 yards. Mullens didn’t have to throw the ball into the end zone on that first down. He could have thrown a shorter sideline pass, bringing the Vikings closer to the end zone.
However, the Vikings suffered injuries to tight end T.J. Hockenson and rookie Jordan Addison during the game, so Mullens didn’t have a full complement of options. However, he could have simply looked at Powell or K.J. Osborn or thrown the ball out of bounds.
Another issue is that he did not make an accurate pass to Jefferson. Melifonwu easily intercepted it because it was more of a wounded duck.
Throughout the season, Danielle Hunter has been the Vikings’ best defensive player. Hunter had a league-leading 15.5 sacks entering this crucial Week 16 game and appeared to be an unstoppable force.
Hunter needed to be at his best against the Vikings’ NFC North rivals. He has incredible speed and power, and Hunter has always done an excellent job of tracking down the most athletic quarterbacks he has faced. Jared Goff does not fit that description because he could not have escaped Hunter if he had been forced to pursue him.
Hunter, on the other hand, was not a pass rush factor in this game. According to the statistics, he had 7 tackles, but none of them came while Goff was attempting to pass, and he only had 1 quarterback hit in the game.
The Vikings only had one sack in the game, which came in the second quarter from Pat Jones. A roughing the passer penalty called on Jones two plays later negated the sack, and the Lions followed with a field goal.
The Lions offensive line did an excellent job of protecting Goff, but the Minnesota pass rush was expected to be much better. Hunter bears a large portion of the blame because he is the leader of that unit.
Beginning in Week 7 and continuing through the third quarter of their Week 15 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Vikings had played outstanding defense.
In that game, the Vikings allowed three fourth-quarter touchdowns to Cincinnati and backup quarterback Jake Browning, which aided the Bengals’ 27-24 comeback victory.
Many expected the Vikings defense to bounce back against the Lions at home, but that unit appeared to lose a lot of steam in this crucial game.
The Lions started the game with a 14-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, and the Vikings were quickly on their heels. Instead of putting out a defense that was difficult to figure out, Goff and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown spent the afternoon picking apart the defense.
Goff completed 30 of 40 passes for 257 yards and one touchdown against Minnesota’s improved defense, without throwing an interception. St. Brown caught 12 of them for 106 yards and a touchdown.
The Vikings needed one of their best defensive performances of the season against the Lions, but the overall performance of that unit was insufficient to secure the victory in this crucial game.
The Vikings are not out of playoff contention, but they are now ranked eighth in the conference, which is insufficient to qualify for the postseason.
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