The first viewing of the Detroit Lions’ 34-23 victory over the Minnesota Vikings was glorious in its own right. Sunday’s win marked the fifth time in six games Dan Campbell’s team prevailed, and it was an emotionally charged victory that breathed some real life into the Lions’ playoff hopes.
As is often the case, the film review strips the emotion and intensity from the game. I went back through and watched the game again twice — both the broadcast feed and the all-22 coach’s film. This was a great game to review with a lot of intricacies and subtleties much more visible the second (and third) time around.
Here’s some of what I took out of the film review of the Lions Week 14 win over the Vikings.
Jared Goff as the Master of Puppets
“Master of Puppets, pulling your strings
twisting your mind and smashing your dreams”
Metallica’s classic song aptly described how firmly in control Goff was against the Vikings defense. After a shaky first drive, Goff was in firm command of everything OC Ben Johnson wanted to do to the Vikings’ defense.
Goff was timely. He was composed. He was accurate to all levels of the field. He sold fakes beautifully. He manipulated the defense with his eyes, his cadences.
It was enough to (probably) make Vikings DC Ed Donatell scream, “master!”
Taylor Decker was dominant at left tackle
The Lions left tackle had an outstanding game against Minnesota. I didn’t credit him for a single QB pressure all afternoon. He got beaten exactly once all afternoon, on a run block play where the defender ran to the wrong side of the gap and it messed Decker’s angle up. That’s it. Third “perfect” game in four weeks for Decker after a brief shaky patch coming out of the bye week.
Lions skill position blocking blew away the Vikings' effort
This has been true in most Detroit game this year, but it really stood out against the Vikings. The effort level and blocking ability of the Lions’ wideouts, tight ends and running backs completely blew away what we saw from their Vikings’ counterparts.
Jameson Williams’ bone-crunching block to help spring Justin Jackson on a touchdown run — a play where TE Brock Wright pancaked his man to create the initial seam — was one of several examples. Other than some nice pass-pro pickups from RB Dalvin Cook and one strong blocking effort from WR Adam Theilen, the Vikings were not close to matching the blocking proclivity of the Lions. Amon-Ra St. Brown nearly had more blocking wins on his own than the entire Vikings WR and TE corps combined
The Lions didn’t have a lot of success running the ball in this game outside of two gadget plays, but the blocking on the edges was not the problem.
Detroit's RBs had a bad game outside of one great run
This was not a game to remember for either Jamaal Williams or D’Andre Swift. The Lions’ primary two running backs struggled to gain yards at every turn.
It appeared to be a confluence of events that led to the RB struggles. The Vikings consistently, effectively attacked the B and C gaps from the second level. They also tackled well, give them their credit. The run blocking from the right side of the Lions line (G Logan Stenberg, T Penei Sewell) was inconsistent. Swift chose the wrong gap or cut erroneously on four of his six carries, costing him potential yards each time. Williams didn’t appear to have the initial burst he normally brings, either.
Justin Jackson’s touchdown run was the definite highlight, salvaging an otherwise forgettable game from the Lions RBs.
Aidan Hutchinson whipped a very good competitor
Going into the game, I spotlighted one of the key matchups: Aidan Hutchinson vs. Brian O’Neill. The Lions rookie has been very impressive, but O’Neill is quietly one of the NFL’s best right tackles. He was a Pro Bowler over Detroit’s Penei Sewell last season.
Hutchinson moved around the formation more than he typically does in this matchup, but he still faced off with O’Neill a fair amount. No. 97 won more battles and the war with O’Neill. Playing without regular (and really good) left tackle Christian Darrisaw on the other side, O’Neill didn’t get much help. He needed it against the dynamic Lions rookie, who beat him for two QB hurries and a TFL in the run game. Oh yeah, this sack too:
VIDEO: Aidan Hutchinson blew up the Vikings drive, picking up his second sack on the game. How about this Lions rookie class?!
🎥: @Lions pic.twitter.com/6n1L6zTw8f
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) December 11, 2022
Mike Hughes should never play in the slot again
Let’s get this out of the way off the top…
Justin Jefferson is the most talented weapon the Lions have faced, or will face, all season. He’s the best wide receiver in the NFL and he proved it on Sunday with 11 catches for 223 yards.
Most of that came at the expense of former Vikings CB Mike Hughes. Thrust into the lineup inside because of Will Harris’ injury, Hughes had no chance against Jefferson. But he also gave up a TD to K.J. Osborne. And another to Adam Theilen, with that one coming on an outside switch.
Hughes has had his moments this season for Detroit but nearly all have come when playing outside. In the slot, he’s a major liability in coverage and the other team knows it. Kirk Cousins certainly did.
Lions defense tackled very well
Minnesota normally gashes the Lions run defense with RBs Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison. Not on Sunday.
17 carries for 22 yards. They picked up just two first downs on the ground.
The Lions defensive line played a fantastic game and deserves a lot of credit. But the tackling from the back two levels of the defense was stellar. Led by LB Alex Anzalone (quietly another very good game for No. 34) and S DeShon Elliott, the backers and DBs flew to the ball with controlled aggression. I counted two missed tackles in the run game all afternoon, and one of those wound up still being cleaned up for almost no gain.
Detroit’s defense has placed an emphasis on wrapping and dropping, and it’s working. But the pursuit angles and body control are looking better by the week, too.
No moment was too big
The last time these two teams faced off, the critical moment in the game proved too big for Dan Campbell. He made a poor choice, one he claims he’ll regret to the day he dies. He’s had game management issues in other games as well, though none recently.
The best way to make amends is to learn from those mistakes and grow. Campbell proved he’s learning and adapting as a game manager and football chess player. No moment in this game caught Campbell or his assistants unprepared or scared. These Lions were well-prepared for what the Vikings would do. I thought Campbell and DC Aaron Glenn both took their riskier shots at the best possible times, like the Jerry Jacobs CB blitz or the ridiculously fun swing pass to Penei Sewell.
Dan had a plan, and he stuck to the plan even when the desired results didn’t always come. That’s something often said of Bill Belichick, Mike Tomlin, John Harbaugh and other longtime great coaches. Campbell’s getting better at coaching every single week. The last two weeks are blinding evidence of that growth.
