When the Vikings lost the week 7 game against the Lions by 29-31, many thought they could have won. When they met again in the week 18 game, HC Kevin O’Connell was hopeful of a better show on Sunday night at the Ford Field. Alas, every hope came crashing down. The Lions decimated their divisional rivals by 31-9. With this, they kept the top spot in the NFC North division and in the NFC conference too.

During the post-game conference, the disappointed Vikings HC threw his O-line under the bus and said, “We didn’t do a lot of the things that we have consistently done. This game came down to finishing, red zone, third downs. We will be ready to go for a huge opportunity coming up on Monday night.”

While Kevin O’Connell failed to find the right strategy to score, the Lions pounced on every chance they got. The home team had better 3rd down efficiency (41.7%) than the visitors (23.1%). Even in the total net yards, the Lions recorded 394 net yards (216 passing, 178 rushing), compared to 262 yards (142 passing, 120 rushing) by the Vikings. RB Jahmyr Gibbs (139) alone had more rushing yards than their total team rushing yards (120).

Their plan was simple. Put pressure on quarterback Sam Darnold. And it worked. Jared Goff, too, was nowhere near his best with 27 of 33 passes (81.8% completion rate) in 231 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. But Darnold failed miserably. He had 18 of 41 passes (43.9% completion rate) in 166 passing yards with no TD and interceptions.

During the post-game, Kevin O’Connell even displayed some signs of frustration while talking about Sam Darnold’s fundamentals and techniques. He needs to hold them together as they are in the playoffs. However, losing both games of the season to the Lions will certainly hurt them.

For the Vikings, the planning started way before the game. But it didn’t turn out the way they hoped. Lions snapped their 9-game winning streak.

Kevin O’Connell’s team’s $2 million effort goes in vain

When the ticket window opened for the Lions-Vikings season finale, the Vikings management bought around 1900 tickets worth $1000 each, totaling around $2 million. They sold it to their fans at a concessional price as low as $200, hoping they would get the on-ground support. Well, that was a huge gamble. However, nothing worked! The Lions were better in every department of the game.

For the Lions, RB Jahymr Gibbs was the hero with 4 touchdowns. He recorded 23 rushes in 139 yards with 3 touchdowns. Additionally, he made 5 receptions for 31 yards and 1 TD. On the other hand, the Vikings O-line crumbled. Aaron Glenn’s defense constantly put them under pressure. Kevin O’Connell failed to find a way out.

It was evident from the first quarter that Sam Darnold wasn’t in the best shape. After sacking the Vikings QB at 1:37 mark in the first quarter, Lions’ DE Za’Darius Smith even mocked the Vikings fans with a little shake dance. That was hilarious. Even at the 2:33 mark in the 3rd quarter, Gibbs ran through the Vikings’ defense before Jared Goff passed the ball to him, ending in a touchdown. He got over ecstatic and threw the ball into the crowd. The game ended with the Vikings’ loss, something wanted to avoid.

For Kevin O’Connell, it’s time to contemplate. They play their wild-card game against the Rams on January 13 in SoFi Stadium. In the only season game against the Rams this year, they lost by 20-30. It’s time to shrug off the losses and work together for the big goal.