Ten Takeaways From Vikings Vs. Detroit 2022 NFL Week Three
The Vikings’ defense needs to be better on 4th down
The Lions were able to convert four of their six 4th down attempts. It is a good sign that the Vikings made them go 3 of 16 on 3rd down but the Lions were able to stay in this game because of their 4th down efficiency.
KJ Osborn is a very underrated receiver for the Vikings
He finished the game with five receptions for 73 yards and a TD. His touchdown and most of his yardage came on the last drive of the game for the Vikings. He had two catches for 57 yards and the touchdown that won the game for the Vikings.
Offensive Yardage and time of possession were deceptive
The Lions had over 40 more yards on offense but they struggled to maintain drives throughout the game. Their 4th down conversions that were mentioned earlier had to take a toll on the Vikings’ defense. The Lions also had the ball on offense for over eight more minutes than the Vikings.
Dalvin Cook was efficient and effective before his fumble and injury in the 3rd Quarter
He had 17 carries for 96 yards and a TD. The offense made considerable improvement in making the run game a priority and that helped to open up the passing game later on. He was looking terrific until he ran into the back of this own guy, fumbled the ball, and hurt his shoulder.
Cousins’ Consistency
Cousins maintained a 33-game streak with at least one passing TD after he made a 1-yard completion to Adam Thielen in the 2nd quarter. He was able to add to his TD total with a pass to KJ Osborn on the Vikings’ game-winning drive in the 4th quarter as well. He was 24-41 for 260 yards and 2 TDs on the day.
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Unexpected contributions from Jamaal Williams
In a game where Amon-Ra St. Brown and D’Andre Swift were expected to be the main offensive weapons for the Lions, Jamaal Williams stepped up. He had 20 carries for 87 yards and 2 TDs on the day while St. Brown and Swift had a total of 104 yards from the line of scrimmage total and no TDs.
Jefferson Limited once again
It is potentially worrisome that the Vikings were not able to get Justin Jefferson involved in the offense for the second straight week. He finished the game with only three catches for 14 yards and 0 TDs. He was targeted 6 times but was only able to make those three catches.
Metellus did not look like he was starting his 1st game at Safety
Josh Metellus played very well today in the place of Harrison Smith, who was out with a concussion from the Eagles game last week. He was able to rack up 11 total tackles, and two passes defensed, along with the INT that sealed the victory for the Vikings.
Hicks was a tackling machine once again
Jordan Hicks was a bit quieter in week two against the Eagles but he played very well against the Lions today. He racked up 14 total tackles and also made a few nice plays while in pass coverage.
Joseph was not as locked in as in previous weeks
One of the main issues that the Vikings had in this game against the Lions was that they were not able to make either of the two field goal attempts that Greg Joseph kicked. He was 4 for 4 on extra points but he could have helped the Vikings out by even making one of the two field goal attempts.
What does this all mean?
The Vikings were able to come away with a victory against the Lions but they still had some weaknesses exposed as well. The offense struggled to find any consistency throughout the game and once again they were not able to get Jefferson involved in the offense. The defense looked good on 3rd down but they struggled to get off the field on 4th down this week. Overall, this was a good rebound week for the team as a whole, especially for Cousins though as he played a much cleaner, more polished game. Thankful that the Vikings won this week and we look forward to next week when they will be playing the New Orleans Saints overseas in London. Please take a look at other articles that we have on thedailyskol.com and enjoy this week’s Vikings’ Victory!