The Minnesota Vikings have snapped their two-game losing streak with a 27-24 road win over the Detroit Lions on November 2 at Ford Field. It was a tightly contested game with the minor details serving as the difference maker.
With the Lions coming out of the bye week and facing a team that’s on a downward trend, Detroit had the opportunity to secure a win at home. However, the Vikings came out with 14 points in the first quarter, showing that they would not go down without a fight.
Minnesota’s desperation for a win proved to give the Vikings the edge. Moreover, Lions head coach Dan Campbell believes his side gave the game to the opposition with how they played in Week 9.
“They executed and made the plays they needed to, and it’s credit to that, too,” Campbell told reporters postgame (h/t Brad Galli of WXYZ Detroit). “As far as us, we did everything we needed to do to lose that game. We made every critical area you needed to at the right time to lose it. Perfect storm. When you don’t play well in all three phases, that falls on the head because that’s me. I did not have them ready coming out of a bye.”
What Did the Lions Do to Give the Vikings the Win?
While he credited the Vikings for executing their game plan, Campbell pointed to the Lions’ penalties as the turning point that swung the game in Minnesota’s favor.
“We made too many mistakes,” Campbell added. “Some of our discipline issues and the penalties caught up to us. There were moments we were out of sync. We never looked comfortable and just didn’t make enough plays. We had multiple chances to put ourselves in position to win that game, and we didn’t take advantage of any of them. I’ve got to clean some things up — and we will. I will.
“We did have a few guys play well, but overall it was just too much. The penalties and turnovers at the wrong times really hurt us. The defense got put in some tough spots, but even then, we expect them to get stops when there’s a sudden change. We just didn’t handle the day well.”
Vikings Defense Stepped Up
If the Vikings wanted to leave Detroit with a win, it couldn’t all fall on the shoulders of J.J. McCarthy. The Vikings’ defense stepped up after a dismal performance against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 8. Minnesota’s defense recorded five sacks, which made life challenging for Jared Goff and Co.
Moreover, the Vikings also forced a fumble. Blake Cashman was all over the place for Minnesota in the win as he recorded 14 total tackles, while Eric Wilson registered two sacks, six tackles, and two QB hits. The offense made plays when they needed while the defense made sure that the Lions’ offense didn’t explode.
At 4-4, the Vikings are in the middle of the race to win the NFC North and will have a challenging task in Week 10 when they face the Baltimore Ravens.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Dan Campbell Issues Honest Message After Vikings Beat Lions appeared first on Heavy Sports.