EAGAN, Minn.: Excitement overcame the Minnesota Vikings after Greg Joseph’s game-winning field goal topped Sunday.
Teammates carried Joseph on their shoulders as they celebrated their 19-17 victory over the Detroit Lions.
An hour or two ago, no one would have expected Minnesota to need a last-second field goal to win. The Vikings knew they avoided potentially catastrophic losses.
It’s better than a defeat, of course, coach Mike Zimmer admitted after the game. But yes, it probably sounds different, yes.
Minnesota scored on its first three properties and took a 13–3 lead at home against the winning Lions. Against a Detroit defense that was entering the game as the 31st in the NFL, allowing 6.63 yards per game, the Vikings offense stagnated.
After a late rumble from Alexander Matison, the Lions took their first lead of the game with 37 seconds remaining. Forced to re-open the offense, Minnesota went on to set up Joseph’s game-winning kick for 46 yards in five plays.
Center Garrett Bradbury said on Monday that we scored on our first three properties in this game and it is an offense. You wish those two were touchdowns instead of field goals, but still, it’s a great start in the first half. We got to find a way to make the plays third quarter, fourth quarter and get points. Defense did an incredible job and we can help them a lot by putting points on the board.
A trend continued for the Vikings offense and defense on Sunday. The offense has disappeared in the second half of the game, while the defense regains its footing in the second half.
The offense has not scored a touchdown in the second half since Week 1. In the last three games, at home, the Vikings have scored 15 points in the second half.
Mattison said that no matter what the game looks like in the second half, we understand that we have players to go out there and play. “We just have to clean it up.
Conversely, the team’s defense maintains the game while the offense is struggling. In those last three home games, the Vikings have only allowed 14 points in the second half of the games. Eight points on Sunday came after Mattison’s fumble, which gave Detroit the ball at the 20-yard line, the deepest field position in the game.
According to Sportradar, the Minnesota defense is the league leader at third down in the second half of the game, allowing conversions on two out of 26 occasions (7.7%). According to Sportradar, 34 points allowed in the second half are the second lowest points allowed behind only Denver (28).
what is working
When Minnesota is pushing the offense down the field, quarterback Kirk Cousins and receiver Justin Jefferson are in sync. Jefferson is building on his Pro Bowl rookie season through five games with 33 catches for 462 yards. He ranks sixth in the league in catching and receiving yards.
Jefferson took five catches for 104 yards in the first half against Detroit, but took only two for 20 in the second half as he was only targeted twice.
what help do you need
The Vikings have been on the lookout for reliable returners since moving away from Cordrell Patterson and Marcus Shearles. Search continues.
Kickoff returner Amir Abdullah made four returns for an average of 17.0 yards on Sunday. He is 42nd in the NFL this season with an 18.8-yard average return. Punt returner Dede Westbrook had a return for 2 yards on Sunday and is ranked 35th in the league this season with a 5.0-yard average.
to accumulate
Joseph came up short in a 49-yard field-goal effort, but when the Vikings needed him most, he was on hold from 54 yards. Since a volatile Week 2 loss in Arizona where Joseph missed an extra-point effort and a last-second, field-goal effort, he’s scored 8 on field goals, including a career-long 55 yards and 5 for Sunday. There are 7 of them. On extra-point attempts.
stock down
When Irv Smith Jr. lost for the season due to a knee injury prior to the season, Minnesota traded for Chris Herndon from the New York Jets. The Vikings sent a fourth-round draft pick for Herndon in 2022 and a sixth-round pick for 2022.
Herndon has had no catches this season and had two expensive penalties on Sunday that were first negated by Down. He was called for an illegal crack-back block on third and -1 on Mattison’s 9-yard run in the third quarter and had to punt Minnesota.
Injured
Linebacker Anthony Barr returned on Sunday for his first game since the second week of last season. He had recovered from a knee injury in training camp last season after a short cut due to a torn pectoral muscle. He ended up playing 100% of the defensive snap.
Bar said that there were many plays when I thought I would never be able to walk again. Your body feels like it’s torn apart and then you wake up like, OK, I’m good.”
Dalvin Cook missed his second game of the season due to an ankle injury.
key number
21.8: The Minnesota defense is now ninth in the NFL with the lowest points score, with opponents averaging 21.8 points per game.
Next Step
Whatever happened this season, after all, the Vikings could be back at .500 before their Week 7 buy. They travel to face Carolina on Sunday. The Panthers have lost two in a row but could find offensive star Christian McCaffrey back for Sunday’s game.
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