Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

EAGAN — Time after time, the Minnesota Vikings had receivers open down the field in Detroit that Sam Darnold didn’t connect with on a frustrating night that prevented them from taking the top seed in the NFC.

Their first priority entering the playoffs will be rebooting the passing attack they’re built around, the asset that factored heavily into their 14-3 regular-season finish.

“Just across the board, I think a little bit better execution from all 11 guys, regardless of the play call, and then there’s no question, there are certain circumstances in that game where I’ve got to do a much better job,” coach Kevin O’Connell said on Monday, lamenting the 31-9 loss to the Lions that cemented the Vikings as a wild-card team and not a division winner.

The heat was on Darnold in Detroit, on multiple levels.

The Lions blitzed on an extraordinary amount of plays, and the pass rush negatively affected Darnold far more than it had in most games with Minnesota. His 18-for-41 performance was by far his worst completion rate of the season (43.9 percent), and he failed to throw a touchdown pass despite four consecutive possessions that reached the red zone. All six drives over the second and third quarters ended inside the Detroit 35, yet the Vikings produced nine points from them.

“There’s some things where mindset and mechanics sometimes can intertwine, previous plays impacting the next,” O’Connell said, suggesting Darnold might have let the moment get too big for himself at times. “There’s maybe five, six, seven, eight plays in that game where it’s across the board, the quarterback’s going to have the spotlight on him when a play looks to be available to make and we don’t make it.”

The most common problem was uncharacteristic inaccuracy, including several passes that sailed high and some that were too far left or right.

“I felt like I went to the right place with the ball,” Darnold said. “I’ve just got to hit the throw.”

The success the Vikings have had with their passing attack under O’Connell, with not only his play-calling acumen but his quarterback development program, can actually work against them sometimes.

Despite the trouble Darnold was having against the pass rush, and his tendency to hold onto the ball longer than recommended, there were pages in the playbook for quicker and shorter throws that didn’t get used. The Vikings also ran the ball only 19 times, their second-lowest total of the season, despite 6.3 yards per rush that was their second-highest average of the season. They were in a one-score game until early in the fourth quarter, with a justifiable opportunity to keep the ball on the ground more than they did.

“We were in the red zone four times and we didn’t score,” wide receiver Justin Jefferson said. “You’re not going to win games like that, putting the defense in that type of predicament. They got us those turnovers. They got us that short field to go and score. We just didn’t do a good enough job.”

What’s working

The defense performed much better against the Lions on Sunday than in their matchup in Minnesota in Week 7, despite the same amount of points (31) allowed. The Lions had only 10 points after their first seven possessions, until they took over down the stretch.

What needs help

Darnold’s performance in goal-to-go situations was particularly abysmal in Detroit. He went 1 for 9 on those downs, mostly under fierce pressure but several times with an open receiver he either missed or simply misfired to.

Stock up

Linebacker Ivan Pace was eased back into action over the past two games after he missed four games with a hamstring injury, but he made a significant impact against the Lions while playing 30 of 68 snaps. He had an interception off a tipped pass deep in Detroit territory and led the team with 10 tackles, one for loss.

Stock down

Rookie kicker Will Reichard has lost the rhythm he had before his quadriceps injury two months ago. He pulled a 51-yard field goal way wide right at Detroit and also sent a kickoff out of bounds with 20 seconds left in the first half, giving the Lions the ball at their 40 before two completions yielded a field goal and a 10-6 lead at the break. Reichard has missed six of his past 16 field-goal attempts.

Injury report

Despite missing out on the first-round bye, Minnesota takes a remarkably healthy team into the playoffs. Cam Robinson has proved to be a capable replacement at left tackle for Christian Darrisaw, the only key player out for the season. Getting outside linebacker Patrick Jones back from a knee injury would help the depth, but O’Connell did not have an update on his status on Monday.

Key number

5 — The losing streak against the Lions has matched the longest for the Vikings in the history of the series.

Up next

Just like after they took their first loss of the season to the Lions on Oct. 20, the Vikings must travel to Los Angeles. They lost to the Rams 30-20 in Week 8. This time, they have twice as many days to recover and prepare with their wild-card round game next Monday night.