Lions post game thread

[mansquatch]

This was a great game for the defense.

Offense REALLY missed Diggs. But getting Cook back was HUGE. Having him as a change up to what Latavius brings is a big asset for the purple and makes our offense much harder to defend. Once they get Diggs healthy they should be set up well.

I think our Bye week is coming at an optimal time. Hopefully they can clean up the injury report and be set to make as strong push into the Playoffs. I still believe we are the scariest team in the NFC as we are the only team the can play legitimate playoff defense. The Saints and Rams are all offense.

[VikingLord]

Wilson had a nice game. Hope we get Barr back after the bye, but I will be okay if he is a cap casualty at the end of the season.

Wilson is showing he can play. I didn't expect much of a dropoff with Barr being out, although I think if Barr is playing as well as he can, which unfortunately doesn't seem to happen all that often, he has a higher ceiling than Wilson. Still, average Barr is not noticeably better than Wilson.

[VikingLord]

They continued with the interior of the Vikings defense.
Joseph, Richardson and Johnson collapsed the pocket time after time, forcing Stafford sideways and into the waiting arms of Hunter and Griffen. Even with 5 sacks between Hunter and Griffen, I can't tell you how many times the Vikings DEs nearly got home in addition to those, and it's because of the interior. They were completely dominant.

I'm just going to comment on the defensive line overall since you mentioned Hunter and Griffen in this part, but man, if the Vikings can get that kind of play out of their defensive interior players for the rest of the season, this team's chances of representing the NFC in the Super Bowl just went up substantially. That was dominant interior line play yesterday. They got consistent push up the middle, but not only did they push, they collapsed too, making it impossible for Stafford to escape and flushing him out towards the edges where Hunter, Griffen and Weatherly were waiting. That kind of pressure is a killer for offenses that rely on their passing games, and for the most part, the teams the Vikings will face in the playoffs are teams that rely heavily on their passing prowess.

The question I have is, can they keep it up? Can they play with that level of intensity and consistency for the rest of the season and take it into the playoffs? Because if they can, with the guys behind them in the secondary and at LB, this is a defense that can get them deep into the playoffs.

I'll make another comment on the offense. The running game is showing signs of life. It's not a dominant attack by any means, but if Cook stays healthy and with Murray's effectiveness and consistency, it is good enough. The offensive line still has time to improve and jell, and if they can, this offense is good enough to threaten even very good defenses. Cook showed that second gear yesterday. Secondary and linebackers cannot cheat against the pass if he's on the field.

[AngryVike]

Waiting for the "coaches" to start coaching a complimentary game. It seems when the D is clicking, the offense goes into walk mode and they stop attacking and pushing. I can't say it was by design because we didn't put that game away until Hunter returned the fumble. When our D plays like this, we should be carrying 14 point leads into each half and then pouring it on in the second. For some reason, this franchise, no matter who is coaching, just can't, or isn't willing to do that. The Lions D isn't good enough to hold any NFL team to two TDs in their own building. It just shouldn't happen. We should have won that thing 42-3 yesterday. Get healthy during the bye Vikes!!!

[PurpleMustReign]

Is Detroit's OL bad? Or is out DL that good?

[Purple Domination]

I still believe we are the scariest team in the NFC as we are the only team the can play legitimate playoff defense. The Saints and Rams are all offense.

I agree with this. While we lost to both the Saints and Rams, I think we proved that we can play with both. We just needed a few bounces of the ball to go the other way. The other team that could be sneaky is if the Eagles find a way to get into the playoffs thru the NFC East. I think their defense could step up at the right time as well.

[Pondering Her Percy]

Is Detroit's OL bad? Or is out DL that good?

Detroits OL definitely isnt bad. We just dominated them

[Pondering Her Percy]

Overall,

QB- This was a game Cousins didnt have to throw 50 times to get a win. We dont need him to light the world on fire to win. He also drew a few calls by throwing deep which helped as well.

RB- Cook and Murray are going to make a great combo. Glad we bye this week and Cook gets even more rest.

WR- Having Diggs out hurt. Cousins seem to force it to Thielen a couple times. But Robinson, Treadwell and Beebe definitely did their part

OL- Much, much better game. I was worried seeing Reiff back that Zimmer was going to be dumb and put O'Neill back on the bench. Thank god he didnt and having Rashod Hill out made our OL look that much better already.

DL- Absolute domination. Excellent signing of Johnson. Griff and Hunter were all over. Weatherly is a great depth guy right now. Richardson and Linval are absolute studs.

LB- I liked the play of Wilson. Thought he held his own. Kendricks was solid as always

DB's- For anyone that wants to continue to complain about Trae Waynes, just stop. Zimmer and Spielman made the right choice taking him over Peters. That kid has been an absolute stud, shut-down type CB all season. Outside of a shaky Rams game (along with every DB) he has given up less big plays than Rhodes has. No less he goes into last week as the #1 CB and outside of a great Thomas catch on the sideline early, he played unreal. Peters on the other hand, got embarrassed once again this week (as he has every week this year) by the Saints. And his antics showed on the field. Either way, good time for Rhodes to rest the ankle and everyone to get back to full health.

Excellent team win before the bye. Onto Chicago (who by the way, has beat a lot of very weak teams). Always tough at their place but I think we get the W.

[S197]

Waiting for the "coaches" to start coaching a complimentary game. It seems when the D is clicking, the offense goes into walk mode and they stop attacking and pushing. I can't say it was by design because we didn't put that game away until Hunter returned the fumble. When our D plays like this, we should be carrying 14 point leads into each half and then pouring it on in the second. For some reason, this franchise, no matter who is coaching, just can't, or isn't willing to do that. The Lions D isn't good enough to hold any NFL team to two TDs in their own building. It just shouldn't happen. We should have won that thing 42-3 yesterday. Get healthy during the bye Vikes!!!

I'm not so sure that was the case in this game. The Vikings were driving down the field and still throwing on 1st down with the lead (even Collinsworth was surprised). But the drive stalled on Cook's fumble. There was also Robinson's drop inside the 5-yardline. Those two plays took 6-14 points off the board.

[mansquatch]

Yeah PHP, Chicago is a team that is reaping a 4th place schedule. Trubisky so far just ins't that impressive. Their defense is scary though. Ball Security is the one thing that could cost us the win in our two matchups with them. If we commit zero turnovers we should have any issue beating them.

[Texas Vike]

What's the consensus on that fumble? I saw it as Cook's fault, but others in the game day thread said it was behind him a bit and on Cousins.

That INT was bad, but I still think the fumble was due to Cook looking up too early. That was a classic Vikings mess up. We were driving and looked poised to put the game away and then that happens. Luckily Hunters TD followed soon after.

[PacificNorseWest]

Defense is progressing rapidly while the offense has become inconsistent. The running game since Elflein came back has gotten better and better. Cook presents new challenges to the defense.

One thing is certain...the bye week is coming at the right time. Need to get healthy upfront on O and for Diggs and others. The Vikings appear to be setting themselves up very nicely to make a run down the home stretch.

[S197]

What's the consensus on that fumble? I saw it as Cook's fault, but others in the game day thread said it was behind him a bit and on Cousins.

That INT was bad, but I still think the fumble was due to Cook looking up too early. That was a classic Vikings mess up. We were driving and looked poised to put the game away and then that happens. Luckily Hunters TD followed soon after.

I'd put it on Cook as well. It hit him in the hands and was a good enough toss that 99 out of 100 times a RB will secure it. There was some pressure off the edge and I think he just took his eyes off the ball and started to make his break before securing it. If anything, that pitch was better than Stafford's and on that play, the RB (Johnson?) took the blame in a post-game interview.

[J. Kapp 11]

What's the consensus on that fumble? I saw it as Cook's fault, but others in the game day thread said it was behind him a bit and on Cousins.

That INT was bad, but I still think the fumble was due to Cook looking up too early. That was a classic Vikings mess up. We were driving and looked poised to put the game away and then that happens. Luckily Hunters TD followed soon after.

Again, I was at the game and had a perfect all-22 view, and in my opinion, the majority of the blame goes to Cook. It wasn't a perfect pitch, a tad high and toward his back shoulder. But still easily within the area of the chest and easily catchable. Unfortunately the official fumble was credited to Cousins.

The pick was all Cousins. Honestly, the way Detroit was bracketing Thielen, it had to be getting frustrating. He had a corner, a safety and often a linebacker around him on every route. It sure looked to me like Cousins was trying to force a completion to Adam and threw into double coverage.

[AngryVike]

Definitely on Cook. Took his eye off the ball because he could sense an immediate hit. The play was gonna get blown up and he knew it. But as many acknowledged already, that's just Viking stuff----the little, unprofessional gaffs that always plague the franchise. I thought Zim was going to be that "guy" that finally jettisoned this crap from our sad history books. Bud Grant teams rarely made these mistakes, (Super Bowls not included, of course). Cousins is starting to remind me of Moon, accurate, fearless, big stats but rarely completely clean, visa vi, play clock gaffs, really bad INTs and fumbles. Too many batted balls as well. I want a series of clean games from the QB spot. Don't get me wrong......I am glad we have Cousins. Just wish he would tidy up a few big wrinkles.