1. Vikings make Goff look 'perfect'
Here's a line you don't see after many Lions games: Jared Goff literally was perfect well into the second quarter while leading 14-6 in what became an embarrassing 29-27 upset loss for the Vikings at Ford Field on Sunday. He was 9-for-11 for 141 yards, two touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 passer rating. While going 0-10-1 in his first 11 starts with Detroit, Goff was 5-for-23 on passes traveling at least 21 yards. He threw four of those in the first half Sunday, completing three for 76 yards and a touchdown. Tight end T.J. Hockenson's 25-yard catch set up a touchdown and a 7-6 lead. Tight end Brock Wright had a 23-yard touchdown to make it 14-6. And Kalif Raymond had a 28-yarder to set up a field goal and a 20-6 halftime lead. "They hit us on some over routes in the first half, we turned the tight end [Wright] loose on a route," Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. "We had to change some things up at halftime, but we didn't start the game well enough to really play as well as we could."
2. Jefferson lights up 'Lucky Charms'
Teammates have been calling Lions cornerback Amani Oruwariye "Lucky Charms" because of how opposing quarterbacks have been throwing the ball right to him this year. Kirk Cousins did just that in the red zone early in the third quarter, but Oruwariye dropped what should have been his sixth pick of the year. Oruwariye was primarily responsible for covering Justin Jefferson, who had a career day with 182 yards and a touchdown on 11 catches. The cornerback did have extra help after Adam Thielen went down early with an ankle injury. Ten of Jefferson's 14 targets for 148 yards came with Oruwariye in man coverage or with help from a safety. In the Vikings' Week 5 win, Jefferson caught five of his seven passes for 101 of his 124 yards against "Lucky Charms."
3. Campbell beats Zimmer in his fourth game as a play-caller
Sunday was Lions coach Dan Campbell's fourth game as an NFL play-caller after taking over the duties from offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn. And yet he beat Zimmer's defensive calls after averaging 13.3 points and 263.3 yards the past three games. Sunday, Campbell was both too conservative and oddly aggressive on a fourth-and-1 call from his own 28 with 4:08 left and leading 23-21. Playing for a 49-yard field goal with a run up the middle on third-and-10 was too conservative. Many of the runs were predictable. Then there was the fourth-and-1 call — a slow-developing pass play in which the immobile Goff was overwhelmed on a strip sack by Blake Lynch, giving the Vikings the ball at the Detroit 19. "I felt we could get that," Campbell said. "At least we were guaranteed to get the ball back, knowing we were already up." If you say so, Dan.
4. Sorry, Klint. Two-point conversion calls were just bad
Zimmer didn't even attempt to dodge his distaste for offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak's play-calling on at least two of the three failed two-point conversion attempts. "They weren't very good, I didn't think," Zimmer said. "You know we tried to run it and smash it down their throats [with Alexander Mattison] from the 1-yard line. Then we tried to hand the ball off to Kene (Nwangwu). So those weren't the best." The third failed attempt was a pass to Jefferson. Running the ball up the middle with no Dalvin Cook and a line that isn't overpowering were plays doomed to fail.
5. Another flag day as Udoh reaches 14 penalties … and counting
Four of the Vikings' five second-half penalties played a significant role in the loss. The Vikings faced first-and-10 from the Detroit 12! Tyler Conklin was called for holding. They settled for a field goal. Cameron Dantzler's interception seized fourth-quarter momentum! Tight end Luke Stocker was called for holding. Second-and-15. Then Oli Udoh got his second false start — and 14th penalty of the season. Second-and-20, followed by a deflating 37-yard punt two plays later. Defensively, Bashaud Breeland had another rough outing. His 17-yard pass interference led to a field goal and a 23-15 deficit. "We got to find a way avoid the penalties," Cousins said. Ya think? The Lions had only three penalties for 11 yards.
