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Week 2 Game Recap: Minnesota Vikings 17, Detroit Lions 20
What you need to know
| Minnesota Vikings |
There's looking bad, and then there's what Tarvaris Jackson looked like in this game. His passing was bad enough, but it was his decision-making that really doomed his team. It's worth noting that Brooks Bollinger replaced an injured Jackson late in the contest and looked far more comfortable in the pocket.
The Lions defense clearly made it a point to stop Adrian Peterson and force the passing game to beat them. Despite that, Peterson still managed to lead Minnesota in both rushing and receiving yardage en route to a productive 118 hard fought yards.
The receivers on the Vikings were never able to get much separation. This is clearly one of the league's poorer wide receiver corps, evidenced by the fact that running backs were responsible for ten of the team's seventeen completed passes.
| Detroit Lions |
QB Jon Kitna was absent for roughly half the game with a concussion. He replaced a mostly ineffective J.T. O'Sullivan late in the game and led an inspired game-winning drive. He looked outstanding in the game, and just as importantly the Lions offense as a whole looked far worse without him in the game.
The Detroit wide receivers are as good a group as any in the league. On any given play, any number of players are open and at times this offense looks every bit as good as the old Martz offense used to in Saint Louis.
RB Tatum Bell has been given a golden opportunity to stake his claim as a featured back in this offense with Kevin Jones still recuperating from injury, but Bell has yet to seize the chance. He gave a very lackluster performance here, and topped it off with some very poor blocking on blitz protection.
What you ought to know
| QB Tarvaris Jackson, Pass: 17 - 33 - 166 - 0 TD / 4 INT, Rush: 5 - 16 - 1 |
Jackson opened the game by completing his first four passes for 31 yards. And then he fell apart. His fifth pass was intercepted, and he was just 13-29 the rest of the way with four interceptions (each one a worse decision than the one preceding it). It got so bad that Detroit started sending blitzers on every down in an effort to rush Jackson's passes and force him into poor decisions. It would appear at this point that he is not very adept at recognizing the blitz and knowing what to do, because he was never able to sustain drives for his team. Far too often, he simply put the ball in traffic for the sake of avoiding a sack, but the turnovers give a pretty clear indication of how wise those decisions were. He did manage to score a touchdown by lunging in from a yard out after a screen pass to Adrian Peterson put the Vikings at the one yard line. Jackson left the contest late in the game with an apparent groin injury, and he'll be re-evaluated later this week.
| QB Brooks Bollinger, Pass: 3 - 4 - 26 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0 |
Bollinger filled in for an injured Tarvaris Jackson during the overtime period. Taking over at his own 20 yard line, Bollinger quickly completed three passes to get the Vikings near midfield. However, he fumbled the snap on the next play, which eventually led to the game-winning field goal for Detroit. It's worth noting that Bollinger looked much more comfortable and confident in the pocket than Jackson looked at any point in the game.
| RB Adrian Peterson, Rush: 20 - 66 - 0, Rec: 4 - 52 - 0 (5 targets) |
Though it won't show up in the statistics, Peterson actually had an outstanding game. Considering he was the only legitimate weapon on the field for Minnesota, it's a wonder he was able to muster up 118 yards from scrimmage. He very nearly made it an outstanding day with a near-touchdown midway through the second quarter. Peterson took a short screen pass from Tarvaris Jackson 24 yards down to the one yard line. He came out of the game on the next play, and Jackson took it in himself for the short score. Peterson had made a great play on the screen by breaking a tackle that enabled him to get as much yardage as he did. The biggest roadblock for Peterson (something he may have to deal with all season) is that Detroit had so little respect for the passing game that they simply keyed on Peterson all game long.
| RB Mewelde Moore, Rush: 6 - 50 - 0, Rec: 4 - 36 - 0 (4 targets) |
With Chester Taylor out and Adrian Peterson a fairly inexperienced receiver, there was a definitive role to be played by Moore in this game. He filled it well, with 86 total yards from scrimmage on 10 touches. It could have been even more, but he had a 40 yard screen pass reception negated by an offensive holding penalty. Moore wasn't simply in as a backup to Peterson, either. He was in on several critical possessions, and it was actually his 20 yard reception that helped set up Ryan Longwell's missed field goal attempt near the end of regulation.
| WR Bobby Wade, Rush: 1 - -9 - 0, Rec: 5 - 34 - 0 (7 targets) |
Wade is the de facto number one receiver in Minnesota, but that number one status is certainly a relative term. As long as Tarvaris Jackson plays the way he did in this game, the number one receiver from this team is going to have a tough time doing enough to even make himself roster-worthy, let alone starting lineup-worthy. Wade turned seven targets into five receptions for 34 yards, and was never put in a position to make a game-breaking play.
| WR Robert Ferguson, Rec: 3 - 29 - 0 (9 targets) |
Ferguson was the most heavily-targeted player on Minnesota, most of the targets coming on deep balls. Unfortunately for him, most of the passes in his direction weren't catchable and two of them actually resulted in interceptions. On most other teams, nine targets in a game would be cause to give him a look on the waiver wire. But if nine targets against a defense like Detroit is only going to result in 29 yards, then when would Ferguson ever be able to put up fantasy-relevant statistics?
| WR Troy Williamson, Rec: 2 - 23 - 0 (5 targets) |
Williamson did very little early on and eventually left the game with a hamstring injury.
| TE Visanthe Shiancoe (2 targets) |
Shiancoe saw just two balls his way, and caught one of them. Unfortunately for him, it was negated by penalty and he finished with zero receptions officially.
| TE Jim Kleinsasser (1 targets) |
The only ball thrown Kleinsasser's way was an ill-advised, off-balance toss from Tarvaris Jackson that was intercepted on his fifth pass of the game.
| PK Ryan Longwell 1 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 5 points |
Longwell connected on his first field goal attempt of the game, but it was the second one that will get all of the air time on television. He lined up for a 52 yard field goal late in regulation with a chance to win the game for Minnesota. His kick had plenty of leg and would've likely been good from a much further distance, but it bounced off the upright to send the game into overtime. The Vikings would eventually lose when Longwell's counterpart, Jason Hanson, connected on a 37 yard kick.
| MIN Rush Defense |
It's difficult to say if the Vikings run defense played well, or if the Lions simply didn't care about running the football. The stats say Minnesota was good against the run, allowing the Lions just 56 rushing yards on 21 carries. But Detroit was enjoying so much success throwing the ball that it almost didn't matter whether they ran or not. In fact, coming out of the locker room at halftime, Lions HC Rod Marinelli was asked what he was planning on doing to improve the running totals. His response was, "We're going to throw more. I don't care if we have to throw on every play." It's also important to note that despite the good stats for the Vikings defense, they were unable to stop the Detroit running game on successive plays in the overtime at moments when they really could've used a stop. With the ball on their own 42, Detroit got a six yard scramble from QB Jon Kitna and a 17 yard scamper by Brian Calhoun that helped set up the eventual game-winning field goal.
| MIN Pass Defense |
It'll look nice on the stat sheet that the Vikings intercepted the Detroit quarterbacks three times in the game, but the reality is that they also allowed Detroit to complete 63% of its passes for nearly 400 yards through the air. Jon Kitna looked dynamic, and J.T. O'Sullivan looked pretty decent considering he had never thrown an NFL pass prior to this game. CB Cedric Griffin had a lot of problems early on with Roy Williams, and every defensive back on Minnesota seemed to have trouble with Calvin Johnson at one time or another. Detroit receivers were open all over the place, as Shaun McDonald and Mike Furrey did a masterful job of getting open and finding soft spots on the underneath and intermediate routes. One bright spot for Minnesota was the play of S Darren Sharper, who intercepted two passes (one of them a tip-toe job on the sideline in the end zone to save a touchdown). The biggest play made by the Minnesota pass defense was late in the third quarter when Pat Williams came bursting through the line to disrupt the handoff exchange between QB J.T. O'Sullivan and RB Tatum Bell. Ray Edwards scooped up the loose ball and took it in for a touchdown from nine yards out that tied the score at 17.
| QB Jon Kitna, Pass: 22 - 33 - 245 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 3 - 13 - 0, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 |
Without going overboard, there aren't enough words to describe the heart shown by Jon Kitna in the latter stages of this game. Kitna, who had earlier been knocked from the game with a concussion, stood and cheered on the sidelines for the better part of two quarters as the Lions established a lead. But when turnovers and spotty play allowed Minnesota back into the game, Kitna convinced the coaching staff to let him go back in. He immediately sparked the offense and greatly improved the passing game as if he had never left. Kitna then helped get the team into position for a late game field goal try that went awry. After Minnesota's own kicker also missed a potential game-winner, Kitna took over possession in the overtime session and really proved his mettle to the Detroit fans. He threw a pass that was batted in the air at the line of scrimmage, and actually caught it when it got back to him. Rather than dropping to the ground, Kitna took off up the right side looking for the first down marker. He later took off on a scramble for six yards on a third down play. On both occasions, Kitna sought out the marker rather than sliding and protecting himself, and on both occasions the extra yardage he fought for proved crucial. On one of the plays in particular, he seemed to be doing his best John Elway impersonation as he was upended and spun around in mid-air as the tackle was made. It was a very inspired effort by a player who was thought to be finished for the day. If nothing else, it really solidified the fact that Kitna is clearly the leader of this offense as well as the one player who makes everything work. Of his 33 pass attempts, there was really only one bad one. Granted, the outcome was an interception in the end zone that could have been very costly, but he directed this offense with Kurt Warner or Marc Bulger-esque efficiency. The Lions came out with four receivers while running a no-huddle offense, and marched downfield as if there were no defenders. Aside from a handful of plays where he took some big hits, the offensive line generally gave him ample time to find his guys and hook up for some big gains.
| QB J.T. OSullivan, Pass: 13 - 23 - 148 - 1 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 2 - -9 - 0 |
O'Sullivan entered the day having never thrown an NFL pass in his life. The former NFL Europe MVP was called upon when starter Jon Kitna left in the second quarter with a concussion. O'Sullivan asserted himself fairly well early on considering his lack of experience, and did a decent job of moving the ball. For the most part, he stayed within himself and simply dropped the ball off to the receivers and allowed them to make plays. On the few rare occasions he did try to make something happen, it usually backfired (as was the case on the two interceptions, both of which were on deep balls). The fumble and ensuing touchdown recovery by the Vikings will be charged to O'Sullivan, but clearly wasn't his fault. He was attempting to hand the ball off, but DL Pat Williams was already in the backfield and disrupting the exchange before O'Sullivan even knew he was there. It was a good opportunity for O'Sullivan to get in-game experience without costing his team a victory. It could prove to be important should he ever need to be called upon again due to a Kitna injury (and with Kitna's history, that's a pretty good bet).
| RB Tatum Bell, Rush: 9 - 14 - 0, Rec: 4 - 25 - 0 (7 targets) |
Bell was active in the passing game, but then again so was every player in a Lions uniform. It's his rushing duties that are supposed to separate him from the pack, but he did little to distinguish himself in this game. He was given a chance to show off late in the first half on a third and one carry, but he was stuffed for no gain. To that point, Detroit had made very little effort to establish the run and things didn't change after that. Bell also did a poor job in pass protection, often allowing blitzers to come through with very little resistance. He did have a nice reception in the third quarter, but it was his only worthwhile play of the game. It could be telling, or it could be meaningless, that all seven of his passing targets came when J.T. O'Sullivan was in the game. Jon Kitna seemed to far prefer throwing to his wide receivers over the running backs.
| RB Brian Calhoun, Rush: 5 - 22 - 0, Rec: 3 - 19 - 0 (3 targets) |
It was just one game, and a very tiny sample size, but Calhoun looked every bit as effective as Tatum Bell with the ball in his hands. Calhoun wasn't overly impressive, though he did have a very nice 17 yard scamper in the overtime that set up the eventual game-winning field goal. Calhoun's role increased as the game went on (and as Tatum Bell grew more and more ineffective).
| WR Roy Williams, Rush: 1 - 9 - 0, Rec: 7 - 111 - 1 (16 targets) |
Williams was, at times, unstoppable. Even losing his helmet during a long reception didn't seem to deter him. After hauling in a 42 yard bomb down the seam, he broke a tackle on which his helmet popped off his head. Rather than retreating to the ground, Williams simply regained his composure and took off down the sideline for another 18 yards or so after the catch -- without a helmet on. Williams had earlier made a nice snag on a touchdown across the back line of the end zone in the first quarter. It wasn't all good for Williams, as he lost what could have been a costly fumble during a catch and run in red zone during the fourth quarter. He displayed excellent moves after the catch and even added a nine yard run. In fact, that run could have easily been a huge pain and possibly a touchdown had lineman Domanick Raiola been able to hold his block rather than almost completely miss. Williams was the intended target on a pass in the end zone from Kitna on the Lions' opening possession that was intercepted by Darren Sharper.
| WR Shaun McDonald, Rec: 7 - 71 - 0 (10 targets) |
McDonald had another relatively big day, finishing with a game-high seven receptions and tied for the same number of looks as Calvin Johnson (second to Roy Williams' 16). Four of his targets came on the opening possession of the game, either suggesting that Minnesota wasn't paying attention to him or that Detroit wanted to make sure he was getting looks early on. Either way, it's good news for McDonald's prospects the rest of the way. Unless one player clearly separates himself between McDonald and Furrey, each player will have the opportunity to have a nice game on a weekly basis.
| WR Mike Furrey, Rec: 5 - 60 - 0 (5 targets) |
Furrey did what he does best -- get open and make catches. He didn't wow anyone with the stat sheet, but at the end of the day he's sitting there with five more receptions and 60 more yards. He also makes the most of his opportunities, as he caught all five balls that headed his way. While the addition of Calvin Johnson is certain to eat into Furrey's production, there is no reason to think he can't still be a reliable source of points as the third option in this offense.
| WR Calvin Johnson, Rush: 1 - 7 - 0, Rec: 4 - 61 - 1 (10 targets) |
Assuming he is able to remain healthy, there is very little reason to think Calvin Johnson won't make a huge impact during his first season in the league. His targets steadily increased throughout the game after a very quiet beginning, but there were no shots of him pouting or giving up on plays. He simply kept working, getting open, and eventually making some plays. There was a designed play for him in the end zone on a corner fade that was knocked away at the last moment, and he eventually did score on a similar fade pass to the front corner. He may have gotten away with a push-off on his touchdown reception, but either way it appeared like he was toying with the defender. QB J.T. O'Sullivan simply dropped back and lobbed up a jump ball, which Johnson easily came down with for his second career NFL touchdown. He was also targeted on several different kinds of passes, meaning he wasn't simply used as a deep threat exclusively or a red zone target exclusively. He is as involved as anyone else out there for Detroit, and his skill set is becoming more and more evident with each game. And if nothing else, it would appear that at the very least, he is going to play a very significant role in the red zone and near the goal line.
| TE Casey Fitzsimmons, Rec: 1 - 10 - 0 (1 targets) |
Fitzsimmons caught one ball in the game replacing the injured Dan Campbell.
| TE Dan Campbell |
Campbell hurt his elbow early in the contest and did not return. He wasn't thrown to prior to the injury.
| PK Jason Hanson 2 - 3 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points |
It's not even a kicker will be a hero on the day he misses a potential game-winning field goal in the fourth quarter of a game. But that's what happened to Jason Hanson. He lined up for a 48 yard field goal with less than a minute remaining and the score tied at 17. The kick was hooked wide, and the Vikings marched downfield for their own game-winning attempt. When their kick bounced off the upright, the game was sent into overtime. After a turnover by Minnesota, the Vikings regained possession and quickly marched back into field goal territory. This time, Hanson's 37 yard try was true, and gave Detroit the win. Hanson had earlier connected from 30 yards out.
| DET Rush Defense |
The Lions made an effort to make sure Adrian Peterson wasn't going to beat them. The plan worked, despite Peterson still managing 66 yards on 20 carries. That perhaps speaks more to Peterson's abilities than anything Detroit did wrong necessarily. The only real blemish for Detroit came when they allowed QB Tarvaris Jackson to lunge into the end zone for the score from a yard out, but that was actually set up by a pass down to the one yard line. Late in the game, Shaun Rogers hurried off the field with his arm dangling by his side. It was unclear if he had suffered a significant injury or if it was just hit the wrong way.
| DET Pass Defense |
The Detroit pass defense did almost nothing wrong against Tarvaris Jackson the Minnesota passing game. They pretty much allowed him to dink and dunk whenever he wanted to, but whenever he tried moving the ball downfield the Lions made him pay. Jackson was intercepted four times by Detroit defenders, many times the result of added pressure on the young QB. Essentially, the Lions gameplan was to cover the Minnesota receivers straight up downfield while attacking inside the box. Whether they got pressure on Jackson or bottled up Adrian Peterson, the result would be the same -- force Jackson to beat you off the blitz by making plays downfield. He couldn't do it, and instead he repeatedly turned the ball over. And that, more than anything, ended up being the difference in the game.
