The Minnesota Vikings had a chance to lock down the No. 1 seed on Sunday night against the Detroit Lions.
Instead, they let the chance slip away after a 31-9 loss to the Lions, allowing Detroit to ensure that the road to the Super Bowl in the NFC would run through Ford Field. With the game and the regular season in the books, here are five takeaways from Week 18’s loss.
1. Sam Darnold Was Bad, but Don’t Panic
Let’s get this one out of the way first. Sam Darnold was terrible on Sunday night. There was missed opportunity after missed opportunity because the Vikings’ quarterback sailed passes over the heads of Justin Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson all night.
That being said, Darnold has faced scrutiny much of the season after bad games. Remember his three interceptions against the Jacksonville Jaguars? He threw 18 touchdowns and two interceptions in the seven games since leading up to Sunday night. He always has found a way to bounce back, and Vikings fans have to hope that he can do it one more time this season.
2. Third/Fourth Downs Were Disastrous
The Minnesota Vikings certainly haven’t been an elite team on third down this year, and they rarely went for it on fourth downs up until tonight. That being said, those downs were a killer for the team both on offense and defense on Sunday night.
Minnesota converted just three of their 13 third down attempts and failed on all three of their fourth downs. Defensively, the Vikings allowed Detroit to convert five of their 12 third downs and two of their four fourth downs. It’s not a terrible showing, but the Vikings’ inefficiencies on offense made it an impossible task for the defense.
3. Give the Lions’ Defense Credit
Detroit has been eternally banged up on the defensive side of the ball this season, and Terrion Arnold left Sunday’s game. Even still, they managed to bring oodles of pressure on Sam Darnold all night, totaling 10 QB hits and a pair of sacks on the QB. They made both Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson nonfactors throughout much of the night.
This Lions team has been the No. 1 team in the NFC all season, and their depth showed why that is the case on Sunday.
4. Kicking Remains a Concern
Vikings fans will continue watching kicks with one eye closed throughout the playoffs after Will Reichard missed another field goal on Sunday night and had a kickoff gaff that led to points at the end of the first half. Given Minnesota’s history will kicking, Reichard’s performances over the past month have not made things easy on fans.
5. A Tough Task Lies Ahead
Following this loss, the Vikings have a difficult pill to swallow over the next few days. Despite all their struggles on offense, this game was very winnable well into the third quarter. Instead, they let the opportunities slip through their fingertips, and instead of the road to the Super Bowl running through U.S. Bank Stadium, Minnesota now likely has to go on the road throughout the playoffs and try to upset very good squads.
Their first task on that road includes a trip to SoFi Stadium to face a Rams team that has Super Bowl pedigree at the top of its organization. Then, it likely will result in either a trip Detroit or Philadelphia during the divisional round if they make it past that first test.
Editor’s Note: Statistics from this article were found via ESPN and Pro Football Reference.
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