Full Reason Why Vikings loss vs. Lions doesn’t prove they are true Super Bowl contenders

The Minnesota Vikings suffered a heartbreaking setback to the Lions, falling victim to a devastating one-two punch. However, the Vikings’ close loss against a Super Bowl contender does not mean they are in the race themselves.

The Vikings rallied late in the game after falling behind by 11 points at halftime. With 5:50 remaining in the game, Ivan Pace Jr.’s 36-yard fumble return gave them a 29-28 lead. However, the Lions responded with a 44-yard game-winning field goal off the foot of Jake Bates.

The Lions had the game under control, but a sloppy turnover and defensive touchdown offered the Vikings a chance for a steal. The total yardage figures were close, and the Vikings performed admirably, but the data did not demonstrate they had the better squad.

Vikings running back Aaron Jones had a terrific game.

Jones contributed another good performance in the loss. He rushed 14 times for 93 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown gallop early in the contest. He also had three receptions for 23 yards, giving him 116 total yards.

However, Jones claimed the Vikings did not close properly, according to vikings.com.

“That’s 4-minute football right there, and you don’t want to give them the ball back,” remarked the captain. “I need to improve my situational ball skills. “I definitely want to stay on the field and run that time out while our defense relaxes.”

Jones’ teammate, great receiver Justin Jefferson, concurred with his judgment. He also mentioned that the Vikings missed out on two crucial points.

“Getting that 2-point conversion, that would have helped tremendously,” replied Jefferson. “Getting that third down would have been extremely helpful. “There are plays that are being overlooked on the field,” Jefferson stated. “However, no single person is to blame. You know, we’ve got to dial in as a whole team (all three stages) and go to work.”

The Vikings’ head coach, Kevin O’Connell, thought the squandered opportunity was important.

“Just one of those things where you look back on it and those are the types of things, to get those two points would be massive in that moment,” O’Connell told the reporter. “For some of the plays down the stretch, we need to be able to pitch and catch.” I need to be able to execute on a third-and-4.”

Close calls do not produce Super Bowl contenders.
Yes, the Vikings took a step forward by going head to head with the Lions. But since they were playing at home, they needed to win this game. They had to finish it off. Standing at 6-0 after defeating the highly regarded Lions, the Vikings may have altered some minds about what they bring to the field.

But it did not happen. Quarterback Sam Darnold had a solid day, completing 22 of 27 passes for 259 yards. But he didn’t make any major plays, only scoring one touchdown and throwing one crucial interception.

According to the Vikings’ YouTube website, O’Connell stated that Darnold performed admirably.

“Sam made so many good decisions today, threw so many highly competitive throws to give our guys chances, touchdown to Justin included, and they got us on that one,” O’Connell observed.

O’Connell admitted that the small things made the biggest difference.

“Really good teams, you’re not just gonna steamroll through the game and have perfect plays on every play,” O’Connell told reporters. “But you better make sure it’s them creating some of those things, not self-inflicted ones. What I’m looking for are the little things that truly excellent teams do to give themselves the best opportunity of winning football games like these.

“Championship-caliber teams will turn inward at the first indication of trouble. We were able to do that in game, come back, and take the lead. However, I urge everyone to look inward and see if we can do a little more. Can we be a little cleaner overall? Because I am confident in our team, our players, and how we operate, we will continue to grow and improve. “It will be a long season.”

According to athlonsports.com, O’Connell believes his team should help the opponent less.

“When you’re trying to win at the level we’re trying to win against anybody we play, we can’t do anything to help good football teams out,” says O’Connell. “There were some things that simply cannot happen. I’m not sure if our men were pressuring.

“What I want to see are the small things. Those tiny things that really excellent teams do to maximize their chances of winning football games like this.”