Perhaps that’s what made Sunday’s 31-29 loss to the Lions refreshing.
Sure, there were multiple reasons the Vikings not only fell from the ranks of the undefeated but more often than not looked like the second-best team on the field.
But they were related almost entirely for tangible things that happened on the field.
After jumping to a 10-0 lead, the Vikings surrendered touchdowns on four consecutive Detroit possessions in the middle of the game. Brian Flores’ scheme just doesn’t faze the Lions.
The offense did very little during that time to turn momentum back the other way, leading to criticism of the interior of the offensive line, Kevin O’Connell’s play calling and QB Sam Darnold’s ability to execute those calls.
When a splendid scoop-and-score restored a one-point lead with six minutes left, the Vikings made three critical errors: A two-point conversion try wasn’t even close; a chance to seal the game with a couple first downs went awry when a Darnold third down pass sailed over both a strangely positioned Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson. And then the defense couldn’t make the one critical stop in previous weeks, allowing the Lions to kick the game-winning field goal.
