Lions Taught Vikings Valuable Lesson in Postseason Pursuit

It was the question of the year for the Minnesota Vikings: What will happen when the Vikings face an offense that can move the ball on their defense?

The Lions answered that question and won, 19-15.

Hear me out. The Lions only scored 19 points. But this isn't 2000, and nobody is going to hold teams to scoring totals like the 2000 Baltimore Ravens defense did all year long. Sure, most teams are thrilled to hold an opponent to 19 points, but it happened and the Vikings were outscored.

Nobody is blaming the Vikings defense for the loss, though. At least nobody that we have seen is making such claim. The offense was Minnesota's problem, and now they need to figure out how to fix it.

Jeremy Reisman of SB Nation discussed how the Lions managed to hand the Vikings their first loss of the year. Here's what Reisman had to say about the Lions' breakout in the running game.

"The Detroit Lions may have only scored 19 points against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, but what they were able to do to a previously impenetrable defense was jaw-dropping. Especially because going into this game, the Vikings were talked about as one of the best defenses in this league's history.

The Lions' second-half running game—23 carries for 164 yards (7.1 YPC) and 1 touchdown—not only broke through the 2026 Vikings defense, but they did some stuff that has almost never been done to a Vikings defense led by coordinator Brian Flores.

According to Shawn Syed, the Lions' 16.2 explosive play rate on Sunday was the highest mark of the Flores' era with the Vikings. According to the FOX broadcast, the Lions forced more missed tackles than any team against this Vikings defense. Colton Pouncy was the first to point out that Detroit's 230 total rushing yards were the second-most ever allowed by any Flores-led Vikings defense."

High blitz rates can be a problem for most teams. But a team has a running back like Jamyr Gibbs that makes defenders miss in the running game, it can get runs in chunks when it gets past the line of scrimmage. There aren't many running backs like Gibbs, but the Vikings might be more likely to find them in the postseason.

7.1 yards per carry is a staggering number. For now, it's nothing to be concerned about given the scoring total the Vikings gave up. Detroit still could not manage 20 points.

It will become something to be concerned about if the Vikings cannot score on offense.

NFL teams will find your weakness and exploit it in the playoffs. If Minnesota is able to get there, you can rest assured opposing offenses will try to duplicate what the Lions rushing attack accomplished.

Minnesota will look to improve its offense so that the defense's potential weakness will be a non-factor.