The headline would have been even more accurate had it been a road game played in Michigan, but setting a team record for sacks in a game (ten) certainly justifies a bit of hyperbole. In a surprising move at the trade deadline earlier this week, the Detroit Lions swapped their top wide receiver for a third-round pick in the 2019 draft. Through most of the first half, it seemed like the announcing crew had to work Golden Tate’s name into the discussion about every play, even when Minnesota had the ball. It got irritating quickly — not as irritating as a Joe Buck-/Troy Aikman-announced game, but nearly that quick.
Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter had a career game with 3.5 sacks and a fumble recovery returned 32 yards for a touchdown. Adam Thielen’s streak of 100+ yard games came to an end at eight, as with Stefon Diggs not active, the Lions could double-team him frequently. Thielen shares the NFL record with Calvin Johnson, who set the mark in 2012. Dalvin Cook also showed that he’s getting back to his rookie-year form, rushing ten times for 89 yards, including a 70-yard effort that set up the Thielen touchdown. The Vikings let the Lions stick around a lot longer than they should have, but the end result was still gratifying:
never saw a team kneel to end a game when they were losing by two scores….thats really raising the white flag.
— From The Cheap Seats (@KevinMcMahonNFL) November 4, 2018
The Daily Norseman‘s Chief Zimmerologist Ted Glover contributed his Stock Market Report on the game, including the all-important Buy and Sell section.
Buy: Kirk Cousins throws to Kyle Rudolph and Aldrick Robinson. The reason the Vikings signed Kirk Cousins to an $84 million, fully guaranteed contract, were for throws like those. The throw to Robinson was beautiful, and if he catches that the ball game is over halfway through the third quarter. The throw to Rudolph was an ‘NO NO NO NO NO GREAT THROW’, but it was a throw that only a few QB’s in the game can make. And Cousins is one of those quarterbacks.
Sell: Kirk Cousins throw to whoever the hell that interception was going to. And on the flip side of the Kirk Cousins Experience is one or two throws a game where you go ‘what in the name of Spergeon Wynn was that all about?’ His interception was just baffling—it couldn’t have been to Adam Thielen, who was well covered, and he couldn’t have been throwin it away, unless he was. Just terrible.
Buy: A pitch out is not a cutesey play. The Vikings were up 17-6 in the fourth quarter, and had the game in control. On a second and six call, Cousins pitched out to Cook, who fumbled the ball, and Detroit recovered. For as bad as the Lions had played, they got the ball at the 28, had almost 10 minutes left, and a quick TD by Detroit makes it a brand new ball game. It wasn’t a bad call, though, as some folks think. A pitch out between a QB and a RB is as basic a play as a handoff, and it’s something that should be executed 14 times out of 10.
Sell: A pitch out to Dalvin Cook was the right call there. Yes, the Lions have Snacks Harrison now, who is really good against the run, and yes, it’s second and six, and yes, Cook was in the game and hadn’t been partcularly effective between the tackles. So…bring in Murray, run him off tackle, and now it’s third and short. It’s a minor point of order here, I get it, but having the game somewhat in doubt that late in the game, after the Vikings had played that well overall was kind of frustrating.
Buy: I think the Vikings are back. Four wins in five games gives me a ton of confidence as the Vikings head in to the bye week. It’s coming at a perfect time, and guys like Stefon Diggs, Anthony Barr, and Linval Joseph can rest up and get healthy for the stretch run. With four games against the Bears, Packers, Pats, and Seahawks, the Vikings look to be peaking and getting healthy right when they need to be.
Sell: The Vikings are definitely back. But those four games are a tough stretch, and we need to see if those key injured guys will play coming out of the bye. The Vikings needed a bounce back game after the Saints letdown, though, and they got it. The offense was efficient, the defense was dominant, and if Minnesota can keep this momentum up after the bye, they’re going to be a factor in who represents the NFC in the Super Bowl at the end of the season.
