1:00 PM ET, October 12,2014
TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN
TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN
Top Performers
Passing: T. Bridgewater (MIN) - 188 YDS, 3 INTRushing: J. Bell (DET) - 18 CAR, 74 YDS, 1 TD
Receiving: T. Riddick (DET) - 5 REC, 75 YDS, 1 TD
Associated Press
Sunday Blitz: Lions-Vikings Recap
With Ezekiel Ansah and Ndamukong Suh leading a relentless rush, the Lions had eight sacks and three interceptions of Minnesota rookie Teddy Bridgewater in a 17-3 victory over the Vikings on Sunday.
More from ESPN.com
Detroit's
defensive line battered Vikings rookie Teddy Bridgewater with eight
sacks in a physically dominating win, Michael Rothstein writes. Story
The
Vikings' offensive line had no answer for Detroit's smothering
defensive line, and rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater paid the price,
Ben Goessling writes. Story"It's definitely something to be proud of, but at the end of the day it's very early in the season," said Suh, who had two sacks and a big hand in holding the Vikings to 69 yards on 18 rushes. "If we're talking Week 17 or Week 16 and we're still at this pace, which I expect this defense to do, then we can start to be really excited about it because it's translating to wins."
So far, so good. The Lions bounced back firmly from a 17-14 loss to Buffalo.
"You have to find a way to stem the tide a little bit. I think our guys were ready to put that one behind them," coach Jim Caldwell said.
With Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush absent because of ankle injuries, the Lions played a low-risk game and were forced to punt as often as the Vikings: seven times each. Detroit converted only one of 13 third downs.
Matthew Stafford wasn't at his best, missing his three-time All-Pro wide receiver and finishing 19 for 33 for 185 yards. Theo Riddick caught five passes for 75 yards and a touchdown, the latest running back to work his way into the game plan this season. Riddick later hurt his hamstring.
But Stafford was turnover-free, most importantly, and good enough to lead a seven-play, 80-yard opening drive for a score to put the defense in position to dominate. The Lions kept pace with three-time defending NFC North champion Green Bay, which won 27-24 at Miami on a last-second touchdown. The Lions beat the Packers 19-7 at home last month.
"We were just out there on a mission, trying to get back on track," said linebacker Tahir Whitehead, who picked off Bridgewater twice, both on tipped balls.
Ansah, who was limping around at times, didn't have any trouble reaching Bridgewater. He had 2 1/2 sacks, as seven different Lions were credited with at least a half of a sack. They held the Vikings to 212 total yards.
"Hats off to Detroit. Great defense. They're No. 1 in the league for a reason," said Bridgewater, who finished 23 for 37 for 188 yards.
One of the interceptions was tipped at the line by Devin Taylor and another went through running back Matt Asiata's hands. But Bridgewater also ended a promising opening possession by locking his eyes on Cordarrelle Patterson in the end zone. He threw late on a post pattern, allowing Glover Quin to pick the ball off with ease.
The Vikings talked this week about getting the ball more to Patterson, but he was a nonfactor again with one carry for 2 yards and two catches for 15 yards. Bridgewater, left largely unprotected during another shaky performance by the offensive line, targeted Patterson with eight passes.
"I'm extremely disappointed about this loss. I can handle getting beat, but I can't handle getting our butts whipped like that," coach Mike Zimmer said.
The one problem for Detroit? Two more missed field goal attempts. Newcomer Matt Prater, the third kicker used by the Lions in four weeks, made a 52-yarder but missed from 50 and 44 into swirling wind. Caldwell said he wasn't concerned.
Game notes
Suh, in his fifth season, passed Shaun Rogers on the franchise list for career sacks by a defensive tackle, with 30½. Rogers played seven years for the Lions. ... Jerick McKinnon moved ahead of Asiata as the featured runner for the Vikings and totaled 82 total yards on 17 touches. ... The Lions have missed 10 of 15 field goals this season.
Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press
Team Stat Comparison
DET
|
MIN
| |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Downs | 18 | 15 |
Passing 1st downs
| 9 | 8 |
Rushing 1st downs
| 6 | 5 |
1st downs from penalties
| 3 | 2 |
3rd down efficiency
| 1-13 | 3-14 |
4th down efficiency
| 1-2 | 0-1 |
| Total Plays | 65 | 63 |
| Total Yards | 255 | 212 |
| Yards per play | 3.9 | 3.4 |
| Total Drives | 13 | 14 |
| Passing | 155 | 143 |
Comp-Att
| 19-33 | 23-37 |
Yards per pass
| 4.2 | 3.2 |
Interceptions thrown
| 0 | 3 |
Sacks-Yards Lost
| 4-30 | 8-45 |
| Rushing | 100 | 69 |
Rushing Attempts
| 28 | 18 |
Yards per rush
| 3.6 | 3.8 |
| Red Zone (Made-Att) | 2-3 | 0-2 |
| Penalties | 5-40 | 9-60 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 3 |
Fumbles lost
| 0 | 0 |
Interceptions thrown
| 0 | 3 |
| Defensive / Special Teams TDs | 0 | 0 |
| Possession | 32:21 | 27:39 |
Passing Leaders
| DET | C/ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | SACKS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stafford | 19/33 | 185 | 5.6 | 1 | 0 | 4-30 | |
| MIN | C/ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | SACKS | |
| Bridgewater | 23/37 | 188 | 5.1 | 0 | 3 | 8-45 | |
Scoring Summary
| FIRST QUARTER | DET | MIN | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | TD | 11:06 | Theo Riddick 9 Yd pass from Matthew Stafford (Matt Prater Kick)
Drive info: 7 plays, 80 yds, 3:54
| 7 | 0 |
| SECOND QUARTER | DET | MIN | |||
| FG | 0:07 | Matt Prater 52 Yd Field Goal
Drive info: 5 plays, 17 yds, 0:38
| 10 | 0 |
| FOURTH QUARTER | DET | MIN | |||
| TD | 11:44 | Joique Bell 1 Yd Run (Matt Prater Kick)
Drive info: 14 plays, 60 yds, 7:54
| 17 | 0 |
 | FG | 4:53 | Blair Walsh 40 Yd Field Goal
Drive info: 11 plays, 45 yds, 4:21
| 17 | 3 |
Research Notes
The Lions were able to find a way to win without any vertical threats Sunday. Matthew Stafford was just 1-of-9 passing more than 10 yards downfield Sunday, and is now 5-of-18 this season on such throws when Calvin Johnson is off the field (19-of-38 with Johnson on field).
|
Teddy Bridgewater
found success against pass rushes of four or fewer defenders against
the weak Saints and Falcons defenses. The Lions standard rush gave
Bridgewater problems.
[+] |
Theo Riddick
had never gained more than 16 yards from scrimmage in a game entering
Sunday. He had 51 yards from scrimmage on Detroit's first drive,
including a 41-yard reception to set up his 9-yard touchdown catch.
|
After
three quarters the Vikings still have not scored. The Lions have not
shut out a team since Week 5 of 1996, a 27-0 win against the Buccaneers.
Tampa Bay's quarterback that day was Trent Dilfer.
|
Matt Prater missed 2nd FG of the game in the 3rd quarter Sunday. Prater missed 1 FG all of last season with the Broncos (25-of-26).
The Lions have now started the season 5-of-15 on FG attempts.
|
Matt Prater missed his first FG attempt with the Lions, a 50-yard attempt.
It was the Lions 9th missed FG this season. No team missed more than 9 all of last season.
|
Detroit held Teddy Bridgewater
to a QBR of just 2.5 yesterday, and its opponent QBR is just 23.5 this
season. That's easily the lowest in the league, well ahead of San
Diego's 41.9 in 2nd. The Lions haven't allowed a QBR above 55.2 in any
game this year, while 20 NFL teams are allowing a number above that for
the entire season.
[+] |
No comments:
Post a Comment