The Lions’ huge, embarrassing failure against the Vikings ends season, 5 other takeaways
Well, that was incredibly ugly for the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings.
Just one more game, Detroit Lions fans. That’s all you have to get through. Just one more game, and this season can mercifully end, and we can get to exciting things like mock drafts, offensive coordinator searches, free agency, and the draft.
Anything is better than this loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
An absolute nightmare
Last week, I talked about how the Lions played the worst game of the year against the Steelers. I was wrong. It was this game. Six turnovers, a bunch of sacks, and a lot of ugly football in between. I mean, it’s easy to tell why it happened, right?
The Lions went out there with the most makeshift of makeshift offensive lines, and if you think Jared Goff didn’t have time before, man, he really didn’t have time in this one. It was like watching a turnstile in the New York City subway. Not everyone was paying their fare, though. Guys were jumping the turnstile and punching Goff in the face.
Goff was sacked four times. Dan Skipper got picked on. Christian Mahogany got picked on, and the tight ends got picked on. Kingsley Eguakun fumbled two snaps. It was just the worst offensive line performance ever on Christmas.
The Vikings have the Lions’ number when it comes to fumbles
The Lions have been pretty good at ball security this year, but the Vikings are killing them with these forced fumbles. Goff fumbled off two bad snaps from Eguakun, and then Jahmyr Gibbs fumbled. The Vikings turned one of them into a touchdown.
On one side, it’s not bad that you only have two fumbles against all other teams, but it’s rough that an NFC North rival keeps hitting you where it hurts.
What in the blue hell is this?
Kingsley Report
Eguakun had a chance to make the Lions think twice about their plans on the offensive line with a good game. That did not happen at all. He struggled in this one and gave up pressure all day, and couldn’t help get the run game going.
What was worse was the two bad snaps that turned into fumbles recovered by the Vikings. If anything, we learned that Eguakun has at least earned a spot on the practice squad. The Lions definitely need to move forward with their potential Tate Ratledge plans at center.
TeSlaa was not going to make the same mistake twice
Against the Steelers, TeSlaa ran essentially the same route he ran here against the Vikings, but dropped the touchdown. A touchdown that would have been huge in hindsight.
He wasn’t going to make that mistake again. Even if he had the wind knocked out of him; this is why the Lions traded up for him. He adds that contested-catch ability in the end zone that they didn’t have before.
At least the Lions got home a bunch of times
You can’t hate five sacks. The Lions got home in this game, and you shouldn’t have expected anything otherwise, going up against a Vikings offensive line missing three starters. Aidan Hutchinson had two sacks, Al-Quadin Muhammad had two sacks, and Roy Lopez had one. So there, something good.
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