Kevin Patra’s takeaways:

Lions run over undefeated Vikings to close gap in NFC North. Detroit figured out the best way to combat Brian Flores’ relentless pressure packages: Go to the ground. After falling behind, 15-12, midway through the fourth quarter, Detroit ran the ball on 11 of its final 13 non-kneel plays. One of those two Jared Goff throws was the go-ahead touchdown toss to Jameson Williams. Detroit leaned on Jahmyr Gibbs and bruising backup  Sione Vaki. Gibbs blasted his way to 153 rushing yards and a TD on 23 carries, while Vaki chipped in 11 totes for 65 yards. Detroit getting production from Vaki is a positive sign for the Lions down the stretch. The Lions couldn’t get out of their way early, with miscues hampering Dan Campbell’s club, including some bad penalties. Goff missed passes early and threw his first interception of the season when Williams slipped on a route. Detroit put up just six points, and Goff was sacked four times through two quarters. Then the run game took over, allowing the QB to utilize play-action and wear down the Vikings’ D. It wasn’t a perfect game for the home squad, but the offense perked up late when needed to close out a big win that bunches the division even closer. It was a need-to-have home game for Detroit. Dan Campbell’s crew came up clutch in the end. 
Vikings offensive struggles continued. It was only a matter of time before Brian Flores’ defense couldn’t carry the day. Minnesota has been playing on the razor’s edge through its first six wins, with the defense spearheading wins while the offense was along for the ride. Against a high-powered Lions offense, Flores’ defense did enough, forcing a turnover, early field goals, and a pivotal late three-and-out. Yes, the defense ran out of gas against Jahmyr Gibbs late. But Kevin O’Connell’s offense needed to do more. Kyler Murray managed the game early, but missed too many throws, particularly high, which led to stalled drives. Nearly a quarter of Murray’s 210 yards (24.3%) came on a 51-yard bomb to Jordan Addison. The QB missed several other shots. Right now, Murray isn’t a station-to-station passer. When the big plays don’t connect, the Vikings offense struggles. Against a Lions defense that entered with the worst pass D in the NFL and allowing the most yards, Murray came up small. The Vikings generated just 266 yards and 15 first downs. Going 3 for 10 on third down and 0 for 1 on fourth down isn’t winning offense. KOC needs his offense to find itself at the start of a tough stretch of games. Right now, it’s not close.
Detroit’s defense stepped up. For the second straight week, Kelvin Sheppard’s defense has played up a level. The defensive line, particularly the interior, pestered Kyler Murray. Alim McNeill led the way with four QB pressures and one sack. The secondary did a better job sticking with Vikings receivers. Where we’d seen WRs scamper wide open early in the season, Detroit’s secondary at least challenged most plays. Cornerback D.J. Reed was having his best game, including a diving INT and a big late pass breakup before leaving with an injury. When the defensive line is getting pressure and the secondary plays on a string, it’s a workable defense. The issue Sheppard faces now is that he lost a trove of players on Sunday. Star linebacker Jack Campbell was taken to a local hospital after suffering a neck injury. D.J. Wonnum and Brian Branch each exited with concussions after a collision. Rookie linebacker Jimmy Rolder suffered a hamstring injury. Reed’s was a hip. Can an already shaky unit overcome injuries moving forward?

Next Gen Stats Insight for Lions-Vikings (via NFL Pro): The Vikings blitzed on 26 of 29 dropbacks (89.7%) in their Week 8 loss against the Lions, the highest blitz rate by a team since at least 2018, breaking the previous record held by the Vikings set last week against the Colts (85.2%). When blitzed, Jared Goff completed 17 passes, tied for the most against the blitz in a game this season, for 130 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Goff was sacked a season-high three times on six pressures when blitzed.

NFL Research: Jahmyr Gibbs became the fifth player in NFL history prior to age 25 to have at least 1,000 scrimmage yards and 10-plus touchdowns in their team’s first seven games of a season, joining Christian McCaffrey (2019), Edgerrin James (2000), Eric Dickerson (1983) and Jim Brown (1958)