Minnesota17
Detroit20
Minnesota
Detroit
| Minnesota 17 | Detroit 20 |
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| September 16, 2007 | Ford Field-Attendance: 61,771 (65,000) | Time: 3:24 |
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| Scoring Summary |
| SECOND QUARTER | MIN | DET |
| DET | TD | 11:09 | Jon Kitna pass completion to the middle to Roy Williams for 9 yards for a touchdown. | 0 | 6 |
| DET | PAT | 11:09 | Jason Hanson extra point attempt is good. | 0 | 7 |
| MIN | TD | 8:25 | Tarvaris Jackson rush to the right for 1 yard for a touchdown. | 6 | 7 |
| MIN | PAT | 8:25 | Ryan Longwell extra point attempt is good. | 7 | 7 |
| DET | FG | 1:06 | Jason Hanson 30 yard field goal attempt is good. | 7 | 10 |
| THIRD QUARTER | MIN | DET |
| DET | TD | 10:06 | J.T. O'Sullivan pass completion to the left to Calvin Johnson for 7 yards for a touchdown. | 7 | 16 |
| DET | PAT | 10:06 | Jason Hanson extra point attempt is good. | 7 | 17 |
| MIN | FG | 5:57 | Ryan Longwell 32 yard field goal attempt is good. | 10 | 17 |
| MIN | PAT | 5:08 | Ryan Longwell extra point attempt is good. | 17 | 17 |
| MIN | TD | 5:08 | J.T. O'Sullivan fumbles. Minnesota recovers, Ray Edwards returns 9 yards for a touchdown. | 16 | 17 |
| OVERTIME | MIN | DET |
| DET | FG | 8:55 | Jason Hanson 37 yard field goal attempt is good. | 17 | 20 |
| Statistics |
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| Team Stat Comparison |
| MIN | DET | |
| 1st Downs | 17 | 29 |
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| 3rd down efficiency | 8-18 | 4-13 |
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| 4th down efficiency | 0-0 | 0-0 |
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| Total Yards | 313 | 415 |
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| Passing | 190 | 359 |
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| Comp-Att | 20-37 | 35-56 |
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| Yards per pass | 4.9 | 6.0 |
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| Rushing | 123 | 56 |
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| Rushing Attempts | 33 | 21 |
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| Yards per rush | 3.7 | 2.7 |
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| Penalties | 12-96 | 7-44 |
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| Sacks against | 2-2 | 4-34 |
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| Turnovers | 5 | 5 |
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| Fumbles-lost | 2-1 | 4-2 |
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| Interceptions thrown | 4 | 3 |
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| Possession | 32:35 | 33:30 |
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| Officials |
| Referee: Bill Leavy, Umpire: Richard Hall, Line Judge: Darryll Lewis, Side Judge: Mike Weatherford, Head Linesman: Gary Slaughter, Back Judge: Kirk Dornan, Field Judge: Rob Vernatchi |
Kitna was knocked out of the game with a concussion, only to return and set up Jason Hanson's 37-yard field goal in overtime that lifted the Lions to a 20-17 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
''I don't think he knew where he was,'' Detroit receiver Roy Williams said. ''He might've thought he was back at Central Washington, but he led this team to a victory.''
Kitna said it was the worst concussion of his 11-year career, and the first since 2000.
''I only know one thing, and it's to play as hard as I can,'' he said. ''I'm not trying to pull a Willis Reed out there, but if I can play, I can play.''
Minnesota and Detroit took turns blowing chances to win the game.
They combined for nine turnovers in regulation and two missed field goal attempts in the final 45 seconds.
The 10th turnover - Brooks Bollinger's fumbled snap - gave Detroit the ball at the 50.
Kitna missed about two quarters after being shaken up, but that didn't deter him from running the ball twice - once off a deflected pass - for 15 yards to pick up a key first down. Brian Calhoun's 17-yard run set up Hanson's kick.
''I'm glad I got another chance to win it, but I'm even happier for the team because we deserved to win,'' Hanson said.
Detroit (2-0) has opened with two wins for the first time in three years. The last time, the Lions finished 6-10 - their best record since Matt Millen was given control of the franchise in 2001.
''It feels good, but it's just a start,'' said offensive tackle Jeff Backus, who has been a part of each of Detroit's NFL-high 72 losses the past six-plus seasons. ''We have to keep it going.''
The Vikings (1-1) had plenty of chances to start 2-0 for the second straight year, but lost many of the opportunities as Tarvaris Jackson tied a team record with four interceptions.
''I didn't play very well. I threw four away,'' Jackson said. ''The defense kept us in the game.''
Both teams had shots to win at the end of regulation.
Hanson pushed a 48-yard field goal try to the left with 45 seconds remaining after making 18 straight field goals dating to Nov. 19, 2006.
The miss gave Minnesota another chance, but Ryan Longwell clanged a 52-yard attempt off the left upright with 2 seconds left - wasting a chance to follow up a 24-3 win over Atlanta.
''We had an opportunity to win this game at the end, but we didn't take advantage,'' Vikings coach Brad Childress said. ''I was looking to see some consistency from Game 1 to Game 2.
''Unfortunately, we took a step back in terms of 12 penalties that we had. That's not acceptable.''
Jackson threw an incomplete pass on the first snap of overtime and left the game with a groin injury.
He completed just 17 of 33 passes for 166 yards without a score and shared an unwanted team record with several players, including Daunte Culpepper, who was the last Viking to throw four interceptions in 2005.
''It's not a good formula for winning on the road,'' Childress said.
With the Vikings struggling to pass, Detroit stacked its defense against the run and was able to limit Adrian Peterson to 66 yards on 20 carries after he topped the 100-yard mark in his NFL debut.
Kitna was 22-of-33 for 245 yards with one touchdown and an interception.
He was knocked out of the game in the second quarter and didn't appear as if he was going to come back in as he stood on the sideline without his helmet. But he did return, helping the Lions take another step toward backing up his expectation of at least 10 wins this season.
''I've seen a lot in this league, but that was special,'' Lions coach Rod Marinelli said. ''You saw toughness. This is a tough town and their football team has a leader that's tough.''
Williams caught seven passes for 111 yards with a TD and a fumble. Rookie Calvin Johnson had four receptions for 61 yards and scored for the second straight week.
Minnesota scored 10 points in 49 seconds to tie the score at 17 midway through the third quarter on Longwell's field goal and Ray Edwards' returned fumble.
Darren Sharper had two interceptions and forced a fumble.
Minnesota had won 10 straight over Detroit, which was the NFL's longest current streak and the best stretch over a divisional opponent since Dallas dominated Washington from 1997 to 2002.
Notes: Minnesota WR/KR Troy Williamson (hamstring) and Lions TE Dan Campbell (elbow) were injured. ... Detroit's J.T. O'Sullivan, who hadn't thrown a pass in the NFL until Sunday, was 13-of-23 for 148 yards with a score, two interceptions and a fumble.
The Lions are 2-0? Can it really be? In what appeared to be another typical heart breakening loss, the Lions Defense came up with their fifth turnover in overtime and a few plays later Jason Hanson redeemed himself in a thrilling victory over the Vikings. The Vikings and Lions both played not to win as each turned the ball over five times. John Kitna missed most of the game with a possible concussion but came back in midway through the 4th quarter. J.T. O'Sullivan was brutal turning the ball over three times and its safe to say Millen blew it trading away Josh McCown in the offseason. Calvin Johnson had another touchdown reception and is definitely showing why he was the most touted player in this years draft. The Defense came up with five turnovers and only gave up one touchdown to the Minnesota Offense. After Jason Hanson missed a 48 yard field goal, everyone got that feeling around me at Ford Field that the Lions were doomed. Fortunately, the gods were smiling on the honolulu blue and silver as Ryan Longwell missed a game winning 52 yarder off the goal post. It was a huge win for the Lions as they beat the Vikings for the first time at Ford Field and the first time in six years!
Offense: --- B-. John Kitna came back from a possible concussion and played his tail off. He was determinded to do everything to win the game. Roy Williams (although he had a costly turnover in the 4th) and Calvin Johnson each had touchdowns for the Lions only TD's of the game. The Lions running game was inept but Bryan Calhoun had a big 17 yard run in overtime to set up the game winning field goal. Kevin Jones is due to play next week, although I have no idea why they are rushing him back. The Offensive Line struggled but we are all accustomed to seeing that. They gave up four sacks and must do a better job opening holes for the running game.
Defense: --- A-. If it were not for the Defense, the Lions would have lost the game. They came up with five turnovers, including a huge fumble recovery by Shaun Rogers in overtime to setup the game winning field goal. The Defense gave up only one offensive touchdown and have been a pleasant surprise so far this season. Having Shawn Rogers on the line makes a huge difference - something the "D" desperately missed last year. The screen pass continues to be a problem but all in all, they have exceeded expectations through the first two games.
Special Teams: --- D. Coverage was awful - the special teams gave up two long returns and Mr. Automatic missed a potential game winning field goal but redeemed himself in OT. Walters and Calhoun looked mediocre returning kicks and punts.
Coaching: --- C. Marinelli needs to work on challenges. Twice he made unsuccessful ones where it was clear from what I saw the play was not going to be overturned. Late in the fourth quarter, the Lions called time out and subsequently got a penalty for an illegal substition. All I could do was shake my head at that one. I do give Marinelli and the coaches credit for getting the Lions to believe in themselves. There is no doubt they would have lost both their first two games in years past.
Overall: --- B+. A win is a win no matter how ugly it was. The Lions will not win many games turning the ball over five times but to their defense, John Kitna missed most of the game. With the win, the Lions find themselves tied with Green Bay of all teams at 2-0 in the NFC North. Up next is a trip to Philadelphia which will most likely be their first loss of the year. Sorry, but I do not see the Lions containing McNabb, Westbrook and company. Hopefully they can prove me wrong.
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