The Vikings lost an eventful first game of the season 34-24 against the Detroit Lions today, a game riddled with mental errors from both teams. Combined the NFC North rivals had over 130 penalty yards and six turnovers on the day, statistics that neither coach will be happy about at the end of the day. The Vikings sorely missed injured defensive tackle Kevin Williams as the Lions' offensive took it right to the Vikings' defensive front by running the ball, something the Lions haven't dared to do in the past. Detroit's new balanced attack kept the Vikings' defense guessing, and the Lions made sure they made the Vikings guess incorrectly often. That game plan led to plenty of yards for Detroit in the early going, but mistakes on their part kept them from pulling ahead on the scoreboard. However, after halftime the Lions cleared the heads a little bit and fatigue set in for the Viking defense, leading to more points for Detroit. On the other side of the ball, the Vikings had a few big plays that were great to see from this offense (including a 78 yard touchdown run by Adrian Peterson on his first carry), however, outside of those big plays the offense failed to sustain drives and left their defense hanging by not keeping them off the field. Needless to say, this was a disappointing first outing for the Vikings, and it will all be broken down below by position group as their performance on the day is graded, as well as the overall offense and defense.
Offense: C-
This was not a good outing for the Vikings' offense by any stretch of the imagination. On the positive end of things, they scored 24 points, which isn't a huge number, but it's also nothing to sniff at by any stretch of the imagination. Scoring 24 points would've been enough to win over half the games that have been played so far this week in the NFL. This offense also showed big play ability, which isn't a shock with Adrian Peterson, but it was nice to see from Christian Ponder and Jerome Simpson, hooking up twice on deep balls that traveled more than 40 yards. If those two can sustain that kind of chemistry that could open up huge things for this offense. Outside of that though, this was not a good day for this offense. Adrian Peterson busted a big run on the first Viking play from scrimmage, but outside of that he was bottled up and was given no room to run. Bill Musgrave made several questionable decisions as a play-caller and the adjustments he made (if he even made any) to the offense throughout the game did nothing to slow down the Lions' defense. The offense coughed up the ball four times, three of them Christian Ponder interceptions, and the other one was an Adrian Peterson fumble caused by a low Ponder hand-off. They also only converted on two of ten third down situations, an abysmal number on a day when the defense really needed some extra time to rest. Overall this offense averaged only 4.15 plays per offensive drive, and that number drops to 3.58 when not counting the Vikings' drive to end the game where the Lions let them move the chains to run the clock out. The Vikings' barely averaged a play over a three and out on the day, and that's not acceptable for this team to have a chance.
Quarterback: C-
Christian Ponder had an extremely uneven day in Detroit, but in the end his lows were bad enough to cost his team a chance at victory. All four Vikings' turnovers came from Ponder, two were from bad decision making and two were from just bad execution. He also threw a pass right to a Detroit defender that was dropped. The good news is he looked much more confident on the field than he normally is, stepping into throws and trying to keep some plays alive (though he did bail out early from the pocket on a few plays). He hit two great deep balls to Jerome Simpson that helped push his yardage total over 200 on the day (238, to be exact) and his yards per attempt were much higher than fans were used to seeing last season (8.4). However, the mistakes he made put his team in a very difficult position, and he wasn't able to take charge of this team when Adrian Peterson and the run game were struggling and only converted two of ten third downs. Not moving the chains and turning the ball over are things NFL quarterbacks are paid not to do, and Ponder needs to improve in those areas if he wants to continue to play in the NFL. To be fair, Bill Musgrave and the play-calling did him no favors today, but many of the mistakes he made were purely on him.
Running Backs: B+
There was much rejoicing when Adrian Peterson took his first carry of the day 78 yards for a touchdown, many fans expecting a big day from 28 since there was over 50 minutes of game time left. However, after that play Peterson gained only 15 yards on his next 17 attempts, as the Lions' defense sold out against the run and largely dominated the Viking offensive line. Peterson did contribute in other ways though, catching four passes for 18 yards and finding the end zone three different times on the day. While Peterson didn't have a huge statistical day like people were hoping, he clearly drew attention from the defense all game, which opened up the two deep throws Ponder made as well as several other passes. While Peterson didn't do much after his first touch, he still did enough where he should feel happy about his contributions to the team. Outside of Adrian the Vikings' running backs weren't seen much, with Zach Line catching one dump-off pass for about six yards.
Wide Receivers: B+
While only three Viking receivers caught passes today, already this group has shown enough to be considered an improvement over last year's group. Greg Jennings did not have a huge day, catching three passes for 33 yards, but he showed great adjustment and hands on a catch over the middle that most players would have dropped. Cordarrelle Patterson also had a catch for a first down, and hopefully will be more involved in the passing game in the weeks to come. The big story on the day, however, is wide receiver Jerome Simpson's performance, catching seven balls for 140 yards and showing he can be a solid deep threat this year. Simpson showed great adjustment to two deep passes he caught from Ponder, and showed off his athletic ability that the Vikings have been waiting to see. If Simpson and this receiver group can build on their outing today Adrian Peterson may see a lot less safeties in the box than he did last year.
Tight Ends: INCOMPLETE
If you wondered whether Pro Bowl tight end Kyle Rudolph even made the trip to Detroit, you probably weren't alone. The tight end was barely targeted on the day, only catching two passes for 27 yards. It's extremely puzzling that Ponder's favorite target from last year was not involved in the offense today, as he is such a match-up problem for opposing defenses and could have been a valuable chain-mover with AP bottled up. Rhett Ellison threw a key block on Adrian Peterson's 78 yard touchdown run, but other than that it was a very quiet day for this position group, which was a strength for the Vikings last year. With the performance this offense put out today, fans better hope Musgrave gets this group move involved.
Offensive Line: C-
The Vikings offensive line, so key in their success last year, had a rough day today. The line was largely dominated by the Detroit defensive front, failing to get Peterson loose after their first snap. They also surrendered three sacks on the day, and Ponder was forced to throw from many tight pockets. With no room to operate it's not hard to see why the offense was so unsuccessful today. This line has plenty of talent, but if they play like this every game it's going to be a long season for the Vikings.
Defense: C
The Vikings' defense was absolutely gashed by the Lions today, surrendering 469 yards of total offense, but they stepped up in key situations to keep the game close for most of the first half. In the second half the defense surrendered points as well as yard, but they were clearly fatigued and the offense did very little to help get them rest. Some positives for the defense on the day included forcing two turnovers from the Detroit offense, and limiting them to only a 50% red zone efficiency. They also allowed Detroit to only convert on five of 13 third downs, though they did allow 28 first downs overall.
Defensive Line: C+
The Vikings' defensive line sorely missed Kevin Williams as they were largely held in check by the Lions' offensive line in both the running and passing game. Detroit was able to find holes up the middle in the running game, holes that usually weren't there when Williams was on the field. The Lions didn't run over the Vikings by any means, but they were able to establish at least an effective running game, which helped the Lions create a balanced attack that gave the defense plenty of trouble. The Vikings were also not really able to pressure Lions' quarterback Matthew Stafford, only registering one sack (and that sack came on a play where Stafford basically gave himself up). The line was extremely effective getting in the way of passing lanes though, batting down multiple passes, with one batted pass leading to an interception.
Linebackers: D+
The Vikings' second level looked completely lost at times at Detroit, as the Lions' running backs had a field day running around the Vikings' linebackers. Reggie Bush and Joique Bell eluded Vikings' defender both when receiving hand-offs and especially when in space catching the ball. The Lions' running backs accounted for 283 of Detroit's 469 yards, and 168 of those yards came with linebackers out in coverage against the two. The linebackers were constantly on their heels, guessing whether the Lions would run or pass, and it caused them to be late to the ball and miss tackles. Middle linebacker Erin Herderson did catch a tipped pass for an interception, but outside of that this unit exposed itself as a potential weak point for this defense, especially out in coverage.
Secondary: B
Matthew Stafford did have a good day throwing the ball, but overall this Vikings' secondary hung tough on a day when the rest of the defense was struggling. Monster receiver Calvin Johnson was held to only 4 receptions for 37 yards, and that's a huge win for the Vikings' secondary. Cornerback Josh Robinson was thought to be a potential weak link for this defense, and while he allowed some passes to be completed his way he also forced a fumble to give the Vikings' offense the ball. Rookie cornerback Xavier Rhodes had a rookie moment out of the gate, stumbling when trying to play physical with Calvin Johnson, but he showed that he belonged in the NFL today, covering Johnson well when asked to. Harrison Smith was also a bright spot for this team, recovering the fumble forced by Robinson and almost picking off a few passes thrown by Stafford. Smith continued to be an enforcer for the defense as well, lowering the boom on Detroit running backs and tight ends a few times.
Special Teams: C
The Vikings kicking and punting games had very different outings at Ford Field, and that is just another thing this team will need to rectify in practice soon. Blair Walsh didn't allow a single kickoff return, a nailed a long 52 yard field goal. In the punting game, however, rookie Jeff Locke's punts only averaged 34.8 yards, and he gave the Lions short fields all day. Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer will hope it's just rookie nerves from his new punter, as the Vikings' defense could have used the extra field position to help slow down the Detroit offense.
Overall: C-
It's hard not to be disappointed by what the Minnesota Vikings put on the field today, but luckily, there are still 15 games that have yet to be played. The offensive line will need to practice hard this week so that they won't be a liability against a tough Chicago Bears defense next week. Christian Ponder needs to keep the confidence he showed at Detroit while cutting down on the bad decisions that helped cause the offense's inconsistent performance today. This defense will hold out hope that Kevin Williams will come back and help shore up the middle of their defensive line, otherwise the defense may be on the field for a while again next week. At the end of the day, the Vikings start their season 0-1, but they still have plenty of time to grow as a team and learn from the events of today.
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