The Colts might've handed the Lions the perfect playbook against Vikings

You have to take your medicine if you want to hang with the Minnesota Vikings defense.

Brian Flores’ unit has been phenomenal– if not historic— all season long. The Vikings have allowed the fewest points per game in the NFL (12.3) and the second-fewest yards (252.8).

It’ll be a tall order for the Detroit Lions to bring down the NFL’s last remaining unbeaten team. But an underachieving Indianapolis Colts team now in the midst of a firesale might’ve given Detroit the blueprint.

In Minnesota’s 16-10 win over Indianapolis, the Colts rushed for 154 yards as a team at a rate of 4.7 yards per carry. They held the lead for the first three quarters before the Vikings took control in the fourth.

The total is a bit inflated by one run. Jonathan Taylor took a toss 38 yards to the house for Indy’s only score of the day. If that play were to be subtracted from the Colts’ rushing total would have them rushing for 116 yards on 3.6 yards per carry.

But still, the Colts did a good job of using the run game to keep themselves in manageable down-and-distance situations. They went 8-for-15 on third downs and controlled the tempo for most of the game— but couldn’t get anything going through the air once they got behind.

That’s an interesting wrinkle for the Detroit Lions. 

Lions can take advantage of 1 potential weakness on Vikings' defense

They’ve got a star running back and a resurgent offensive line of their own. And while Jahmyr Gibbs isn’t the bruising, between-the-tackles runner that Taylor is, he’s got a little more thump to him than he gets credit for. 

Plus, he has the ability to take the smallest crease to the house. Gibbs has been dinged up this week with a shoulder injury but told reporters he’d be good to go.

So, the thinking is, the Lions are well-positioned to follow the Colts’ example. If they can keep the offense on schedule with modest but positive gains on early downs, Minnesota’s aggressive pass defense will have to at least stay somewhat honest against the pass. 

Gibbs spelled out the plan on Thursday.

“We need to be really good in the run game so they can't sit in all those blitzes,” he said. “So I think that's the main thing. Just uh doing good on first and second down, and having a manageable third down so like they don't get all the exotic pressure looks and all that.”

It won’t be flashy, but small, incremental gains that set up the explosive play are the way you beat a defense this good.

READ MORE: What Kerby Joseph's return could mean for Keith Abney's role in Lions' secondary

Now, this is a Vikings team who is going to bring pressure no matter what. Minnesota blitzes on 71% of all defensive snaps. No other team even hits 50%. If they knock this Lions offense into consistent negative plays— as they’ve been able to do with all of their opponents— it’s probably wraps, even if their own offense is mediocre at best.

But if offensive coordinator Drew Petzing and run game coordinator/offensive line coach Hank Fraley can find ways to spring Gibbs loose on a few runs, Detroit and its top-flight passing offense are in a better position to capitalize than most teams who will face Minnesota.

“It's always a focus,” Gibbs said of Minnesota’s high blitz rate. “They blitz a lot. We know what they're going to do. But we’ve played them for what, this is my fourth year? So, yeah, it's not a surprise. I mean, we're up for the challenge.”

Jared Goff and the Lions’ offense infamously struggled in both of their games last year against the Vikings. Goff played awful in both games, the Lions didn’t have any answer for Flores’ hyper-aggressive approach and the two losses ended up costing Detroit the playoffs.

This season, however, Goff has punished the blitz.

For him to be able to do that against Minnesota, it’ll have to start with the ground game.

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