Lions vs Vikings: Studs and Duds for Week 5
In a game where most thought the Detroit Lions would have no business being in, they made it a game till the very end. After going up late in the game, the victory was snatched away by another long field goal to seal the 19-17 victory for the Minnesota Vikings.
Like the first time against the Ravens, this is just as equally heartbreaking. The Lions’ defense kept the Vikings mostly at bay throughout the game, giving them a shot to steal it from their division opponent. Unfortunately, due to miscues, costly turnovers, and yet again questionable play-calling, the Lions are walking away with their fifth straight loss of the season.
It is hard not to feel for a team you are leaving it all on the field, especially the way they were able to come back right up until the end in an all-familiar fashion. It would be wrong not to highlight the few studs this week but also putting salt in the wound for the dud section.
Studs
(AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)
D’Andre Swift
Last week, Swift couldn’t muster much to give the offense the necessary push to get over the hump, but this week was a different story. On the ground, Swift powered through his way for 51 yards averaging 4.6 yards per carry, while scoring the Lions’ only touchdown. Swift was just as equally effective, catching all six of his targets for 53 yards through the air. In a day where you could hang your hat on much on offense, Swift was about as consistent as you could get today.
Jack Fox
When offense sputtered, the Lions leaned on Fox in hopes of pinning the Vikings deep, and boy did the Punt God show up today. He hit a career-long 67-yard punt that backed up the Vikings offense right near the goal line. But, as per the norm, Fox was able to flip the field in the Lions favor making the Vikings drive down the field, averaging 51 yards per punt and landing two of his four punts with 20 yards line. He did have one touchback, but that was no fault of his with the covering unit not getting there in time. Once again, Fox proved to be an invaluable weapon.
Tracy Walker
The Lions safety play has been questionable as of late, but today Walker played one of his best games this season. He sniffed out running plays and landed some strong hits that looked to have knocked the wind out of some of the Vikings. He tallied nine total tackles (seven solo) with a tackle for loss. He also deflected the ball to Alex Anzalone for the interception on a pass. Walker was one of the key cogs on defense today that helped stall some of the Vikings drives and showed what we have been missing.
Jerry Jacobs
Today, I wanted to highlight our good friend, Jerry Jacobs, because he played better than anyone could’ve hoped for. We didn’t hear his name called out much throughout the game, but that is a good thing for a corner. With Bobby Price going through some growing pains, Jacobs stepped up admirably on the other side of Amani Oruwariye. He kept Adam Thielen in check, with him only recording two catches and 40 yards. It was good to see the undrafted rookie have a strong performance in his first game as a starter.
Duds
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Jared Goff
This seems to be a recurring theme seeing Goff land on the dud side of the list, but here we are in Week 5, with the starting QB putting up another sub-par performance. Goff barely cracked 200 yards, finishing with 203 passing yards, but what is more nauseating is the yards per attempt, 5.8 yards. That is inexcusable. On top of the two turnovers and being sacked four times, it is tough to watch these abysmal performances. The offensive line didn’t do him much favors against the barrage of Viking defenders, leading to our next dud.
Penei Sewell
Sewell has had a rough go as of late, and it wasn’t going to get easier against a Vikings defense sporting Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter on the edges. Griffen put a clinic on Sewell. The rookie gave up two of the four sacks today. He did not look comfortable and was unable to handle the savvy veteran.
It could be his injury acting upon him as well, so he probably wasn’t playing at 100%. We all knew there would be some rookie struggles, but at this point, you would’ve hoped Sewell would’ve been able to show at least some signs of rebounding. Unfortunately, right now there isn’t much glimpse into that.
Amani Oruwariye
It was a tough day for Oruwariye as he seemed to be the victim of the Vikings aerial attack. However, he had the distinct pleasure of guarding Justin Jefferson, who made Oruwariye look silly at times. He gave up 124 receiving yards to Jefferson. Oruwariye finished the day with nine total tackles — tied for the lead with Walker — which is not a good thing for a corner. Jefferson is a strong player, and it was a tough matchup for Oruwariye, but the Lions needed some strong play for him considering the cornerback room is held with bubble gum at this point.
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