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    • The Detroit Lions know how to win inches. That’s all in the NFL
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    The Detroit Lions know how to win inches. That’s all in the NFL

    Caradoc Wyn Posted on

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    Sometimes it’s important to flip the script and change things a little.

    To get a new perspective on the Detroit Lions today – to understand what they’re doing right – today I’m going to focus on the Minnesota Vikings.

    OK, that might sound strange.

    But there is a point, I promise.

    I went back and combed through everything the Vikings said Sunday after the Lions earned a dramatic 31-29 win over Minnesota, just to get a different perspective.

    “Yeah, you know, I just gotta keep cleaning up,” Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold told reporters after the game.

    Remember when the Lions talked like that after a loss?

    Remember how they said they were so close to winning – how 10 guys were doing the right thing and one would screw it up, or that if they could change one or two plays everything would be different?

    “We just have to make sure all 11 guys execute the play with great attention to detail before and after the snap in all three phases,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said. “And I’m going to continue to push this team every day to try to make that happen.”

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    Man, I swear Lions coach Dan Campbell once said the exact same thing.

    But you know what?

    Now the Lions are doing it. They make the plays that win games. For the most part, everyone agrees on them. And after a win, especially a dramatic win, you kind of forget where it all started.

    “It was definitely crazy,” Minnesota wide receiver Justin Jefferson said. “This was a competitive game that pitted two great teams against each other. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy going into this game and they just came out on top… came up with the W today. I have to give them kudos, but we definitely hurt each other in a lot of ways that you probably can’t imagine out there on the field. We missed a lot of opportunities, so we just had to get better.”

    Remember when the Lions always talked about missed opportunities?

    Now their opponents talk like that.

    That tells you everything.

    MORE SEIDEL: The Detroit Lions are built to last – from their coach to their quarterback and everyone in between

    A huge turning point

    So let’s look at one of those opportunities – one of the Lions’ most critical defensive plays.

    Let me set the scene: There were 2:46 left in the fourth quarter and the Vikings had a 29-28 lead. The Vikings faced a third-and-4 from their own 28 plays and the Lions desperately needed a stop.

    The Lions still had two timeouts and the 2-minute warning, but if the Vikings had gotten the first down, they would have been in a good position to secure the win.

    Minnesota came out with three receivers bunched on the right side, and running back Aaron Jones lined up even further near the sideline.

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    Jones started moving and Alex Anzalone ran with him – obviously he was in man-to-man coverage.

    Darnold rolled to his right as the three receivers crossed over each other, trying to confuse the Lions.

    But the Lions’ defensive backs were prepared – credit to the Lions coaches, as well as Lions GM Brad Holmes, for transforming that secondary.

    Brian Branch hung transfixed on the Vikings’ first receiver as he moved down the middle of the field.

    Minnesota’s Jordan Addison cut near the sticks, but Amik Robertson, a fifth-year pro, was able to cover him.

    And Carlton Davis III had the biggest responsibility of all, trying to protect Jefferson, the best receiver in football.

    Jefferson took a deeper route and headed toward the sideline.

    But then the Vikings suddenly made a crucial mistake – a mistake that can change a game.

    Addison stopped his route and stepped back – moving directly into Jefferson’s space.

    Arnold was forced to throw high to Jefferson – presumably because Addison had landed there – and the ball flew just out of his reach.

    “I think we need to maximize space a little bit better, whether it’s our pre-snap formation or just finishing the concept the way we need it,” O’Connell said.

    Read between the lines and he talked about how Addison freelanced.

    “We don’t want those two players stacked there while Sam (Darnold) moves there, kind of a play that has a separate play attached to it,” O’Connell said. “If we have a different defensive look, and then that’s a throw and catch I think if we have a clear path to throw to Justin (Jefferson) right there, I think we’ll throw and catch that thing and then carry on.”

    Several great things came from this single piece.

    First the clock was stopped.

    And most importantly: The Vikings had to admit defeat to the Lions.

    Of course, you probably know how it ended from there. The Lions marched down the field and Jake Bates scored a game-winning goal.

    Here’s how to build a winner

    Kind of amazing, right?

    The Lions were only able to win this game because all eleven players worked together and paid attention to the little details.

    And it was the Vikings who ended the game with the thought: Man, if we could just change one thing.

    Like that third-down play.

    But something else happened on the Vikings’ failed two-point conversion.

    “I just missed a couple of execution games,” Jefferson said. “Getting the two-point conversion late in the game would help tremendously. It would have helped enormously to score the third goal towards the end of the game. So just being left out there on the field plays a role. But there is no single person to blame. You know, we all have to dial in as a whole team.”

    Dial-in like the Lions.

    If you look at this game through the stats, it was incredibly even.

    The Lions managed 144 yards and the Vikings ran for 139 yards.

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    The Lions threw for 247 yards and the Vikings passed for 244.

    Both teams had eight penalties and one loss of possession.

    Both teams were 4 of 10 on third downs.

    But the difference in this monstrous game?

    Those tiny details — the kind the Lions talked about endlessly.

    But now they do.

    That’s the biggest difference with this team.

    When you have a great coach, talented players and a great program – but most importantly, you pay attention to the little details and get everyone to play together – you end up winning close games like this.

    And the other team still sounds like the Lions of old.

    Contact Jeff Seidel: [email protected]. Follow him on X @seideljeff. To read his latest columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel.

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    Caradoc Wyn
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