In a lot of ways, the Minnesota Vikings were the team that sent the Detroit Lions into a downward spiral. While Detroit entered that Week 7 game already on a two-game skid, this was the first game of the season the Lions looked truly overmatched. It was the first game we saw Detroit’s defense get absolutely thrashed by a passing attack, and it remains the only game the Lions have lost by more than one score.
The Lions have never looked the same since that game. The defense still hasn’t recovered, and while the offense remains respectable—even with second and third-string quarterbacks—it hasn’t mattered.