Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings lose first home game to Detroit Lions in overtime

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Minnesota Vikings lose their first home game at U.S. Bank Stadium in a week 9 loss to the Detroit Lions, where overtime was needed to get a winner.

Losing at home is never fun, but it was bound to happen eventually. For the Minnesota Vikings, they were able to hold off their opponents until week 9, when the Detroit Lions were able to get a win in the new facility 22-16 in overtime. Here’s a quick rundown of how it happened:

The Minnesota Vikings took the kickoff first, with Cordarrelle Patterson getting the ball out to the 26 yard line. The short passing game started out well, but after a failed run and off-target pass, the Vikings were forced to give up on their first possession and punt the ball away.

The Lions took advantage of a 42 yard Theo Riddick run to get them in field goal range, but then stalled out. They settled for a field goal attempt, which was made and gave Detroit an early lead over the Vikings.

Down 0-3, Minnesota took back over on offense. Bradford caught a pass to himself and Ronnie Hillman had a nice run, but again the Vikings couldn’t put themselves in scoring position and they punted the ball away.

After a fruitless Lions drive, Minnesota put together some quick passes (including rookie Laquon Treadwell’s first NFL catch), Blair Walsh booted through a 33 yard field goal to tie the game early in the second quarter.

Nov 6, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway (52) celebrates a tackle during the second quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Chad Greenway picked off Matt Stafford early in the Lions drive, giving the Vikings great field position. However, penalties and a big sack took the team out of field goal range and forced a punt which had to be very disappointing for the entire Minnesota squad.

Detroit start chipping away at the Vikings defense. Short passes, screens, and dives kept the chains moving and the clock ticking. In fact, they ate a large portion of the second quarter with short passes and small runs. The long drive ended with a short Stafford touchdown pass to Anquan Boldin, with an extra point putting the Vikings behind 3-10 going into halftime.

The Vikings opened the half with some fire on defense. They stopped the Lions dead in their tracks, forcing a quick 3 and out. Sadly, the Vikings couldn’t move the ball either, as Bradford was sacked on 3rd down, forcing yet another punt.

Struggling yet again Minnesota forced the Lions to punt. But this time the Vikings took advantage of their opportunity. Bradford ended a nice drive with a goal line touchdown throw to Kyle Rudolph, but Blair Walsh missed the extra point. The Lions still led the Vikings by one.

With the final period of play underway, the Vikings once again had possession. Some nice plays resulted in a field goal attempt for Blair Walsh, but the kick was blocked and returned by the Lions for a nice gain, giving Detroit good field position.

Again, struggling offense made the Lions settle for a long field goal, but Prater kicked it right through the uprights, extending the Detroit lead to 9-13.

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Sam Bradford looked like a quarterback on a mission in the 4th quarter. He hit running backs in stride, made great quick decisions, and got rid of the ball fast to let his playmakers make plays. But it all ended up being for naught, since the team couldn’t pick up a 4th and inches to keep the drive alive in the red zone.

Taking over on downs, the Lions were only able to move the chains once before they had to give the ball back to an Vikings offense hungry to take the lead.

During the drive Adam Thielen made some big catches, one being a spectacular grab where he extended his body going to the ground. Bradford even hit Diggs on a 4th down in the red zone to keep the Vikings hope alive after Patterson couldn’t haul in a potential touchdown.

Minnesota got the ball into the end zone with 23 seconds left in the game when tight end Rhett Ellison got the ball on a short sweep and snuck in for the score. Blair Walsh hit the extra point to give the Vikings a 16-13 lead.

A big Lions pass put the Lions in field goal range, and with the clock expiring kicker Matt Prater was able to boot through a 56 yarder, sending the game to overtime.

Detroit started out on offense. Stafford looked to his tight end Eric Ebron early and often, moving the ball well and chipping away at the Vikings defense. The game ended with some missed tackles and Golden Tate staying in bounds, doing a twisting flip over the goal line.

Final score: Minnesota Vikings 16 – Detroit Lions 22.

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