Final: Vikings 29, Lions 31. This was the exact type of game everyone was expecting. The Vikings and Lions are the 2 best teams in the NFC and this game lived up to the hype. An absolute slugfest that featured back and forth punches between 2 heavyweights. Jared Goff, Brian Branch, and Jahmyr Gibbs were the highlight players for the Lions. Justin Jefferson, Aaron Jones, and Ivan Pace Jr stood out for the Vikings. Sam Darnold also had a solid game, but made a few key mistakes that Goff didn't make and potentially was the difference in the game. I am not saying Darnold "is to blame" for the loss, just that Goff has been playing out of his mind these last 3 weeks. This loss is nobody's "fault" on the Vikings. This was just an absolute classic NFL game between 2 top teams and should purely be appreciated as such!
Before we go any further, let's look back at Birdman's Blog's prediction for the Lions game before providing some overall thoughts:
"Prediction: I believe the Vikings will come out hot again this week, as they have done in every game this season. The Lions will punch back because both of these teams are very solid. The Vikings will finish the game with a slight turnover differential advantage and will win 31-27, after making a late field goal to take a 4 point lead and ending the game by picking off Jared Goff as the Lions go for a game winning touchdown. The Lions are coming off a very emotional victory and could be a let down game for them. Let's go, Vikings! We want 6-0!"
My prediction was SO close! The Vikings started out hot, taking an early 10-0 lead. The Lions punched back with 4 straight touchdown drives spanning from the end of the first quarter through the third quarter, while the Vikings only managed 1 touchdown, bringing the score to 28-17. During that stretch, the Vikings had a good looking drive going before Darnold decided to look off a wide open Aaron Jones and instead throw an interception to Brian Branch. Only one of two mistakes by Darnold on the day, but also an unbelievable play by one of the NFL's best safeties. In a game between 2 top teams, big time players are going to make big time plays. The Vikings then punched back with great defense, 2 field goals, and a defensive touchdown to take the lead 29-28 with 5:50 left in the game. The Vikings were able to force the Lions to punt again, giving the Vikings offense a chance to end the game with the ball in their hands. Or, like my prediction stated, kick a field goal to take a 4 point lead to force the Lions to need to score a late touchdown to win. Instead, on 3rd down, the Vikings ran a play with each receiver near the sidelines, Sam Darnold rolled out to his right and barely overthrew Jefferson for the first down. I wish the Vikings would have ran more routes across the middle of the field in this scenario. It would have been easier to find someone open, get the first down, and keep the clock running. Unfortunately, this led to a punt, allowing the Lions to kick a field goal to take the lead 31-29 with 15 second remaining. The craziest part of this ending was if the Vikings had gotten the ball back with even 16 seconds, they probably win. The Vikings were able to drive the ball to the 50 yard line and spike it with 1 second remaining. This would have been a 67 yard field goal for Will Reichard, well within his range. But since the Vikings had to rush the spike, they were called for illegal formation. This resulted in a 5-yard penalty and KOC didn't feel comfortable with Reichard attempting a 72 yard field goal for the win. I personally don't understand why we didn't try it. What's the worst that would have happened? We miss it? Reichard is one of the best kickers in the league, he would have been kicking in a dome, and had the home crowd behind him. It sure would have been fun to see us try. Instead we decided to try a hail mary and Darnold got sacked. Heck of a game!
The Minnesota Vikings are now 5-1 after playing probably the most difficult schedule in the NFL through the first 7 weeks. On top of that, we have the 4th best point differential in the NFL at +61. This team is performing at a level not many people saw coming. Birdman's Blog actually predicted the Vikings to win between 11-13 games this year while being a "sneaky Super Bowl contender." There are aspects of the offense, defense, and special teams that they need to clean up, but it feels a lot better doing so when starting 5-1 and having a much easier schedule the rest of the season (compared to the first 6 games).
I feel 100% confident in the Vikings organization moving forward this season. They will make 1 or 2 big time splash moves before the trade deadline (November 5) as they make a run for the Super Bowl. I say that because when a team is in the position they are in, there is no guarantee of future years working out like this year has. If they feel like they have a shot to win the Super Bowl (they are currently 1 of the top 4 teams in the league: Vikings, Lions, Chiefs, & Ravens), they need to take advantage of the opportunity and go all in. Expect to see the Vikings trade for a big time Defensive Tackle and maybe one other big time player on offense. Either way, this season has been awesome and is shaping up to be the best season for the Vikings since 2017. Up Next, Thursday Night Football matchup in LA against the Rams!
Prediction: The 5-1 Vikings will travel to Los Angeles to face the 2-4 Rams on Thursday Night Football. I believe the Vikings will get out to an early lead against the Rams, win the turnover battle, and win by a final score of 30-13. The Rams will likely have WR Cooper Kupp back. He is a big part of this Rams team, but that could be offset by the Vikings adding TE TJ Hockenson back into the lineup. Even though the Rams are feisty and very well coached, the Vikings are just a flat out better team and should handle their business on this short week. Go Vikings!
Tomorrow will be a defensive clinic by the Vikings
Let’s get to 6-1 and have a nice 10 days rest before our next game! Our schedule gets much easier the rest of the way too.
Short week, bounce back win! #SKOL 😀