Getty Harrison Smith enters the 2022 season at age 33, a cause for concern to many of his NFL peers.
The Minnesota Vikings, having all but one game this season decided by more than a single possession, was in a position to eke out another nail-biting victory over a previously winless Detroit Lions team on Sunday.
Kirk Cousins connected with Justin Jefferson for a 3-yard touchdown that forced the Lions to go for a touchdown with under two minutes left in the game.
Stopping Detroit seemed like an easy enough task after the Lions turned the ball over on their past two possessions and managed just 56 total yards in the second half.
But what followed was humiliation.
Jared Goff led a 14-play, 75-yard scoring drive, capped by an 11-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown as time expired, dealing the Vikings an embarrassing 29-27 loss.
Minnesota safety Harrison Smith credited Goff with making his throws. However, he was unsatisfied with the lack of urgency by the defense.
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‘We Were Just Too Soft on Them’
In a postgame press conference, Smith expressed his distaste for how the Vikings allowed Goff to complete 9-of-14 pass attempts during his game-clinching drive.
“We were just too soft on them. Let them get out of bounds a couple times. It was pretty much it,” Smith said. “That’s been an area we’ve struggled in all year and it bit us [Sunday]. We’ve got to fix it.”
The final play was fitting for how the defense played the entire drive. Sending only three pass-rushers, the Vikings kept eight players back to play prevent. Cameron Dantzler was lined up 10 yards off St. Brown and still backpedaled into the endzone, leaving space for the Lions receiver to make the game-winning catch.
After allowing 20 points in the first half, the Vikings defense played tougher for most of the second half. However, when tasked with one last stop, the final drive proved too much for a defense missing five of its original starters.
It started with slowing the run game down and playing well on third down,” Smith said. “We did for much of the second half, but kind of the two-minute and end-of-half area, it’s our Achilles’ heel right now.”
Frustrated after the game, Smith challenged his teammates to carry the loss with them.
“You gotta move on to the next opponent. Personally, I carry losses with me,” Smith said. I know you’re supposed to have a 24-hour rule, but if you don’t take things personally in his league you’re not going to be here very long.
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Road Only Gets Tougher for Hampered Vikings
While the Vikings’ remaining schedule is much weaker than their start to the season, no game can be considered a gimme anymore.
Patrick Peterson and Everson Griffen are already out for this Thursday’s primetime matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Meanwhile, Eric Kendricks (bicep) and Anthony Barr (knee/hamstring) are also in question to miss Thursday’s game.
On offense, Dalvin Cook (shoulder) and Adam Thielen (ankle) have been deemed safe bets to miss Thursday’s game as well. Thielen suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter of the Lions’ game and will undergo an MRI on Monday.