4 Takeaways from Detroit Lions' 19-17 Loss to Minnesota Vikings
The Detroit Lions went to Minnesota in search of their first victory of the season, but left U.S. Bank Stadium winless, as the offense was not able to cash in on several opportunities to score touchdowns.
Detroit now falls to 0-5, and will head home to face the Cincinnati Bengals next Sunday afternoon at Ford Field.
The Lions made it interesting late, with a forced turnover and a D'Andre Swift touchdown to make it a 17-16 game.
But, Kirk Cousins was able to march down the field in less than a minute, to set up the game-winning field, which was kicked by Greg Joseph.
Here are the four takeaways from the Lions' 19-17 loss to the Vikings.
Quarterback Jared Goff has significant ball security issues
One of the reasons that Goff fell out of favor with his former club was his elevated rate of turnovers near the end of his tenure.
With Detroit, Goff's struggles with turning the ball over and maintaining a handle on the football have put the defense in precarious positions on several occasions.
Against Minnesota, Goff turned the ball over on two more occasions, as he fumbled in the first half and threw an ill-advised interception in the third quarter.
Detroit's inability to execute on passes over 15 yards made it a struggle to consistently rush the football in crunch time. Goff attempted a deep pass to Kalif Raymond that fell incomplete, as the speedy wideout was double-covered.
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Detroit's defense gave the team an opportunity to stay in the ballgame
Detroit's defense was able to largely contain the Vikings' offense, as Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn had his squad making plays and getting off of the field when needed.
Alex Anzalone continued to prove why the coaching staff has given him the opportunity to lead the defense, as he secured an interception late in the third quarter.
The Vikings' playmakers -- wideout Justin Jefferson and running back Alexander Mattison -- made plays, but the defense clamped down when the Vikings found their way to the red zone.
Charles Harris recorded his fourth sack in four games, with his latest sack of Kirk Cousins forcing the Vikings to kick a 55-yard field goal.
With the made 55-yard field goal, the Vikings took a 16-6 lead.
Notably, the Lions have trailed by double digits in the second half of all five of their games to start the season.
Jerome Miron, USA TODAY Sports
Penei Sewell struggles in pass protection in the first half
Everson Griffen has made a living abusing tackles throughout the course of his career.
Against Detroit's young left tackle, Griffen used multiple swim moves in order to fly past the block and disrupt Detroit's offense.
On back-to-back plays, Griffen beat Sewell, and got to the quarterback.
Early in his career, Sewell has been susceptible to giving up position against talented defenders in pass protection. His run-blocking, meanwhile, has continued to shine early in his career.
Lions' offense vanilla and easy to contain
While the emphasis has been on the run, Detroit has simply been unable to complement D'Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams in any way, shape or form.
Detroit lost Quintez Cephus to an injury, and were without his services for the second half.
Goff has not been able to develop a consistent and reliable target outside of T.J. Hockenson, who again saw his impact limited.
On third down, Detroit curiously threw the ball behind the line of scrimmage on back-to-back opportunities.
The Vikings each time were able to contain the target of Goff's pass, forcing the Lions to punt it away.
By the midway point of the fourth quarter, Detroit had only converted on three-of-nine third downs.
Jerome Miron, USA TODAY Sports
Matt Blewett, USA TODAY Sports
