Missed Opportunities to Score & Prevent Points…

The number of times a strategy the Vikings have used at the end of the half — either from historical knowledge, advanced analytics, or maybe even gut instinct — has backfired is maddening.

The Lions added a 31-yard field goal by Riley Patterson with 1:33 remaining to end a 13-play, 77-yard drive that began at the Detroit 10. The Lions didn’t face a third down until reaching the Minnesota 13.

Gains of 16 and 15 on passes to Jefferson moved Minnesota to the 42, but the drive stalled with incompletions to Tyler Conklin, Jefferson and Dede Westbrook. The third-and-10 was a deep pass attempt instead of one that could have moved Minnesota into field goal range.

Head Coach Mike Zimmer opted to go for it on fourth-and-10, and Cousins was sacked, giving Detroit the ball at its own 45 with 32 seconds remaining.

Minnesota allowed a 24-yard completion to Kalif Raymond, and Detroit was able to add a 41-yard field goal for a 20-6 halftime edge. Not bad for a team that hadn’t scored 20 points in an entire game since Week 1.

“We gave them three points there,” Zimmer said. “But you know, we weren’t playing very well. I was trying to get something going. The two plays before that, we had guys wide open. So, I thought, you know, maybe – I had confidence in the offense, too, to hit that.”