Five extra points: Lions’ savvy, Vikings’ blunders swing momentum in NFC North battle

The Vikings’ critical two-point conversion attempt with 5:50 left failed because Lions rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold and safety Brian Branch adjusted their coverage perfectly to avoid a pick that might have sprung Jalen Nailor free in the corner. “We had a little motion there, man coverage,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said. “They passed it off. Sam [Darnold] tried to put it into a tight window [to Jordan Addison]. He might have had Speedy [Nailor] in the corner.” Addison motioned once and Nailor twice before the snap. Arnold knew what was coming and signaled for Branch to take Addison to the inside while he took Nailor outside, thus preventing the defenders from colliding. Nailor would have been a better option, but he too was covered. “Those two points would have been massive,” said the coach whose team lost by two.

Jahmyr Gibbs’ 16-yard catch on a wide-open wheel route to put the Lions in game-winning field goal range with 1:18 left was the way-too-easy result of a blunder that edge rusher Jonathan Greenard owned up to with words after the game and by slapping his own helmet with both hands the moment he saw Gibbs catch the ball in the right flat. “I take full responsibility; I gotta make my read and get to the flat,” Greenard said. O’Connell said the plan in that situation was to force Gibbs to pass protect. Greenard, however, used an inside move on right tackle Penei Sewell, allowing Gibbs to slip free. “He got out and they were able to find him, and it was an explosive for sure,” O’Connell said.

The Vikings and defensive coordinator Brian Flores assumed the Lions and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson wouldn’t run the ball up the middle when facing third-and-7 from the Vikings 8-yard line with 29 seconds left in the half. Big mistake. The light personnel package practically begged Gibbs to run up the gut, which he did for an easy touchdown. “We thought they were OK taking three there,” safety Josh Metellus said. “And we end up giving up a touchdown.” O’Connell called it a “great call to sneak a run play in.” But was it a great call or the obvious call looking at how thin the Vikings were up front? They had no linemen and an inviting hole over the right side that only the 207-pound Metellus filled as a linebacker. Sewell blocked Metellus with ease and the Lions led 21-10.

Lions coach Dan Campbell came into this game 9 for 11 on fake punt calls since 2021. That helps explain the temporary insanity of him calling for a fake on fourth-and-7 from his 33-yard line 2½ minutes into the game. Jalen Reeves-Maybin took the direct snap, which fooled absolutely no one in part because Sione Vaki had just motioned left to right to presumably create and option look. Brian Asamoah II blew the play up immediately when he forced Reeves-Maybin to turn inside while Kamu Grugier-Hill covered Vaki. Reeves-Maybin was then met by Metellus, Bo Richter and C.J. Ham for a 1-yard gain. It took the Lions a quarter to recover from that boneheaded decision.

The failed fake punt set an early tone and led to a 10-0 lead after two Vikings possessions. Then the flags flew on the third possession. One ugly three-and-out included three Vikings penalties for 20 yards. Johnny Mundt and Ed Ingram were flagged for holding. That set up second-and-24 from the Vikings 6. Then Garrett Bradbury had a false start on third-and-12. That woke the Lions up and quieted the crowd a bit. Detroit scored touchdowns on its next four possessions.

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