 lost more than just possession, when Cook limped off with an injury to his left knee and did not return. Tahir Whitehead recovered that fumble for the Lions, plus one by Adam Thielen with 1:43 left at the Detroit 45 that ended the last-chance drive for the Vikings. Detroit (3-1) leads the NFL in turnover margin, at plus-9. Abdullah came close to ending a four-year stretch by the Lions without a 100-yard rusher, finishing with 94 yards on 20 carries before leaving the game with an undisclosed injury. Matthew Stafford was sacked six times for 55 yards, but he hung on to the ball each time and completed 19 of 31 passes for 209 yards plus the key 2-point conversion to T. J. Jones to give the Lions a seven-point lead. Case Keenum started in place of Sam Bradford at quarterback for the Vikings for the third straight game, going 16 for 30 for 219 yards. He was sacked by Zettel for an 11-yard loss on third-and-goal from the 3 right before the two-minute warning, and his fourth down heave into the end zone sailed over Thielen's head. The Vikings had only 120 yards in the second half. As dominant as their defense was, they still made some costly mistakes. Xavier Rhodes, Anthony Barr and Trae Waynes each had their hands on passes by Stafford that could've realistically been intercepted. On the last play of the first quarter, Stafford found Marvin Jones open in a hole in the zone coverage for a leaping 38-yard completion on third-and-17 that set up the first of two field goals by Matt Prater. Prater's second kick was made possible by a botched play that started with a direct snap to running back Jerick McKinnon, who faked an inside handoff to Cook and tried to take off on an option play before fumbling. Cook had 13 carries for 66 yards and a touchdown before he was hurt. Latavius Murray took over after that. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer fell to 2-5 in his against the Lions, who have won nine of the past 14 meetings with their NFC North rival. FORBATH'S FIRSTKai Forbath's streak of 21 straight made field goals since joining the Vikings for the final seven games of last season ended with a bonk off the right goalpost at a critical time, in the final minute of the third quarter. Prater's 59-yard field goal on the final play of the first half fell short for his first miss of the season. Prater has four makes from 50-plus yards this season. INJURY REPORTLions: Rookie middle linebacker Jarrad Davis, the team's leading tackler through two games, sat out for the second straight time. He's recovering from a concussion, and he had a neck injury added on Friday. Another starter, OLB Paul Worrilow, limped off with a left knee injury on the defense's first play. Nick Bellore and Steve Longa filled in. Vikings: Thielen limped off with an injury to his left leg after a first down catch set up Cook's score in the second quarter, but he quickly returned. UP NEXTThe Lions host Carolina next Sunday, before traveling to New Orleans for a game on Oct. 15 that precedes their bye week. The Vikings play at Chicago on Oct. 9, their second Monday night game in the first five weeks. They return home to host Green Bay on Oct. 15. ---For more NFL coverage: http://www. pro32. ap. org and http://www. twitter. com/-NFL)
Sep 27, 2017 MINNEAPOLIS -- As the Minnesota Vikings waded through the uncertainty at quarterback, Case Keenum gave the team a big lift in last week's win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Keenum matched Sam Bradford's stellar Week 1 performance with a 75. 8 completion percentage, 369 passing yards and three touchdowns without a turnover. Bradford, in winning player of the week, threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns without a turnover in Week 1 with an 84. 4 completion percentage. Statistically, it has been impossible to tell the difference between the two quarterbacks in two home games. Their teammates have only noticed a slight difference. "I made a joke, I think the only difference is that you can see Sam in the pocket, and you can't see Case very well back there," tight end Kyle Rudolph said jokingly to the team's website. "But no, they both throw great balls. "They both had incredible success throwing the football, and when we block teams up and let them sit back there with time, we have guys on the outside that are going to get open. " Bradford has missed the past two games with an unspecified knee injury. He was held out Wednesday as Minnesota (2-1) returned to practice in preparation for Sunday's home game against the Detroit Lions (2-1). "I'm giving him the day off today, but we are doing everything we can to get him ready to play Sunday," Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. "We are just giving him one more day to rest. " No matter who has been at quarterback, Minnesota's offense hasn't missed a beat and surprisingly sits second in the league in total yards with 400. 3 per game. The Vikings' maligned offensive line -- with former Detroit draft pick Riley Reiff at left tackle -- has given up the fourth-fewest sacks per pass play in the NFL. Rookie running back Dalvin Cook is second in the league with 288 rushing yards. Receivers Adam Thielen (299 yards) and Stefon Diggs (293 yards) are second and third, respectively, in the league in receiving yardage. "They are taking shots and throwing the ball down the field and giving those guys opportunities to make plays," Detroit safety Glover Quin told the team's website. "A lot of time in the past they were a bunch of quick throws, short throws, but they are throwing the ball down the field and those guys are making plays, so you have to expect that to continue. " The Lions are known as the big-play offense of the two familiar NFC North opponents. But Detroit has been efficient offensively without big games from quarterback Matt Stafford and has been strong defensively. Just 17th in the NFL in offensive yards per game, the Lions are seventh in the league in points per game. "They are running the ball good," Zimmer said of Detroit. "The two running backs they have are very explosive and quick. Matt Stafford scrambles around a lot. He is averaging eight yards per carry. They have weapons on the outside and their tight ends are good, so it is a good football team. " One reason the Lions haven't compiled league-leading yardage totals is the work of the defense. Detroit is tied for second in the NFL with eight takeaways, including seven interceptions. The takeaways have helped the Lions to an NFL-best plus-six turnover-margin. "They do a good job of getting pressure on the quarterback," Zimmer said. "They play tight in coverage. They are very well coached scheme-wise, fundamentally sound, and they are around the football so they end up getting a lot of picks. " While Bradford's status is likely to linger to the end of the week, Detroit is also dealing with its own injury concerns. Starting defensive end Ziggy Ansah (knee) and guard T. J. Lang (fibula) didn't practice Wednesday. Rookie linebacker Jarrad Davis (concussion), starting safeties Quin (knee) and Tavon Wilson (shoulder), and center Travis Swanson were all limited in practice. Sunday marks the first division game for each team. The Lions have had the better of the recent meetings, winning eight of the past 14 games between the teams, including a sweep last season. The two wins last year were by a combined nine points and only four of the past 14 games between the teams have been decided by double digits. "We're going to have to play better than we did last week, I think, offensively in order for us to beat these guys on the road," Lions receiver Golden Tate told the team's website. Minnesota is allowing the third-fewest rushing yards per game this season and came through with its first three takeaways of the season in beating Tampa Bay. "Everything you want out a defense, they do," Stafford told the team's website, adding, "Not a whole lot of blown assignments on film. . . . They're in the right place at the right time. They know how to make in-game, in-play adjustments. "They play fast and physical. Everything you'd want out of a defense, they do. "
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