The Vikings played the early US Thanksgiving game at Detroit yesterday and were in reach of a win in the final minute of the game, but a rare interception of Sam Bradford gave the Lions the win instead. With top wide receiver Stefon Diggs on the sideline, Bradford depended on getting the ball out as fast as humanly possible to Adam Thielen, Cordarrelle Patterson, and Kyle Rudolph, as the patchwork line lost yet another starter with center Joe Berger out with a concussion (and a hip injury to backup tackle Jeremiah Sirles).
At the Star Tribune, Jim Souhan explains what happened in that final Vikings possession:
Bradford had excelled all day in lawn-sprinkler mode, spurting out passes as fast as shotgun snaps could reach his hands. He completed 31 of 36 passes before Slay stole the last one.
It’s difficult to complete 80 percent of your passes in flag football, much less on the road while playing for an NFL division lead, but this is what Bradford has done all season.
His offensive line is unrecognizable. His backs scare no one. His receiving corps was missing its best player, Stefon Diggs, and relying on a rookie, Laquon Treadwell, yet to earn his playing time.
Bradford knew he had to throw quickly. Often looking more like a second baseman turning a double play than a drop-back quarterback, he finished with 224 yards and just the one, damaging interception — one rooted in Vikings history.
The Cover-2 concept originated with Chuck Noll’s legendary Steelers. Tony Dungy adopted the strategy and popularized it with another former Vikings assistant, Monte Kiffin, and Leslie Frazier relied on it when the Vikings won the division in 2012.
For most of Thursday’s game, the Lions played man-to-man on the Vikings receivers, hoping to take away Bradford’s easiest throws.
With 38 seconds remaining and the score 13-13, the Vikings faced third-and-7 from their 28. They had just converted a third-and-2 with a 7-yard gain that was erased by an illegal-formation call.
Bradford dropped back, and Adam Thielen, lined up to the right, ran downfield and quickly cut to the right.
If the Lions had been playing man-to-man, Thielen would have been open and likely would have produced a first down, which would have given the Vikings a chance to drive for a game-winning field goal.
The Lions were playing Cover-2, or Tampa-2. Instead of turning and following his man, Slay read Bradford’s eyes and cut in front of Thielen. He made the catch, held on to the ball just long enough as Cordarrelle Patterson tried to rip it free, and gave the Lions the division lead.
Before the game started, the singing of the national anthem took long enough that Vikings Twitter was joking that the game would have to be flexed to a later start time:
Hahahahahaha pic.twitter.com/CLT0MWNlKa
— Eric Thompson (@eric_j_thompson) November 24, 2016
After injuries to Joe Berger and Jeremiah Sirles:
By the end of the game, the Vikings OL will look like this. #MINvsDET pic.twitter.com/qjNg65wETB
— Aldo – NFCN Barroom (@AldoBarkeeper) November 24, 2016
If you think Bradford is going to throw down field with Clemmings and Beavers as starting tackles you are cray cray.
— Judd Zulgad's Hoodie (@JZHoodie) November 24, 2016
