League Admits Blown Facemask Penalty At End Of Vikings Vs. Lions

Vikings At Lions Final Score: Minnesota Comes Up Just Short, 34-28

The Minnesota Vikings, despite themselves, almost overcame five turnovers to pull off a monumental upset of the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Sunday afternoon, but a fumble on the last play squelched the last drive of the afternoon and sent the Vikings to a 34-28 loss.

With the loss, the Vikings are now at 2-11 and, at least temporarily, in sole possession of the second pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. The team they're in competition with for that spot, the St. Louis Rams, does not play until Monday night when they face the Seahawks in Seattle.

Things got off to a terrible start for the Vikings, as on their first offensive play quarterback Christian Ponder got stripped by Detroit defensive end Cliff Avril, and the ball bounced into the end zone, where Stephen Tulloch recovered it to give the Lions a 7-0 lead.

The Vikings appeared to have something going on their second drive after a 32-yard gain on an end-around from Percy Harvin, but on the next play Ponder threw an interception to Detroit's Alphonso Smith at midfield. The Lions took just three plays to capitalize, as on a 3rd-and-14 play, Matthew Stafford found a wide open Titus Young for a 57-yard touchdown, and the Vikings quickly found themselves down 14-0.

After a three-and-out for Minnesota, Stefan Logan returned a Chris Kluwe punt all the way to the Minnesota 32-yard line. Four plays later, the Lions were in the end zone again, thanks to a 12-yard pass from Stafford to tight end Brandon Pettigrew to give Detroit a 21-0 lead.

To Ponder's credit, he shook off the rough start and led the Vikings on an impressive 10-play, 80-yard drive that saw him make a couple of nice throws. He concluded the drive with a 7-yard pass to Visanthe Shiancoe for a touchdown to cut the lead to 21-7. However, on the Vikings' next drive, he threw another awful pass, and Smith had his second interception of the game. The Detroit cornerback had a clear path to the end zone, and the 30-yard return put the Vikings into a 28-7 hole.

After Jason Hanson put the ensuing kickoff out of bounds, Ponder put together another scoring drive, taking the team 60 yards in 10 plays, eventually finding Percy Harvin in the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown pass to make the score 28-14.

Detroit added another field goal towards the end of the first half, thanks to the Vikings' fourth turnover of the first half when Lorenzo Booker fumbled at the Minnesota 16-yard line, and the Vikings found themselves down 31-14 going into the locker room.

On the Vikings' first drive of the second half, after a 28-yard pass to Devin Aromashodu to put the Vikings into Detroit territory, Ponder threw another awful pass, and it was picked off by Detroit's Eric Wright. During the return, Ponder got buried by Detroit linebacker Stephen Tulloch, a hit that drew a 15-yard personal foul penalty and ultimately sent Ponder to the bench for the rest of the afternoon.

Joe Webb came in at quarterback on the Vikings' next drive, and immediately made a huge impact, converting two third downs with his legs and then busting loose for a 65-yard touchdown run. . .yes, sixty-five yards. . .to cut the deficit to 31-21. The run was the longest touchdown run for a quarterback in Vikings' history. The Lions did answer with another field goal to put the score back to 34-21 with a little more than twelve minutes left in the game.

After Percy Harvin gave the Vikings good field position at their own 40, Webb put together another nice drive, mostly with his legs. After an 8-yard run moved the Vikings to 4th-and-2 on the Detroit 23-yard line, Toby Gerhart took a handoff and surged for five yards to keep the drive going. Three plays later, Webb and Gerhart connected on a 2-yard touchdown pass, and suddenly the Vikings found themselves within six at 34-28. The play was the first touchdown catch of Gerhart's career, and the first touchdown pass of Webb's.

The Vikings then stopped the Lions' offense, and took over on their own 20-yard line with 3:32 left on the clock. The Vikings managed to run 18 plays in that time frame, including another fourth down conversion by Gerhart, and with nine seconds left the Vikings found themselves with fourth and goal at the Detroit 1-yard line and no time outs left.

On the play, Webb took the snap and moved out to the left. It appeared that Detroit's DeAndre Levy grabbed Webb's face mask, a grab that the officials completely missed, and Webb fumbled the ball. The football was batted backwards and, ultimately, recovered by Detroit as time expired for the Vikings' sixth turnover of the game. The grabbing of the face mask by Levy looked deliberate, and probably should have given the Vikings one more play at the end of the game. However, it went uncalled by the officials, and the Vikings were sent to their 11th loss of the 2011 season.

The Vikings actually significantly outgained the Lions in terms of total yardage, racking up 425 total yards to Detroit's 280. Minnesota gained 269 of their yards on the ground, with Webb breaking Fran Tarkenton's old record for rushing yards in a game by a quarterback with 109 yards on seven carries. Toby Gerhart chipped in with 90 yards on 19 carries, and Percy Harvin throwing in 40 rushing yards as well. Ponder and Webb combined to go 23-of-44 for 156 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions. Harvin was Minnesota's leading reciever with 69 yards on 10 catches.

The Vikings now have to win two of their final three games to avoid having the worst record in Vikings' history. The worst record the Vikings have had since the advent of the 16-game schedule was a 3-13 mark in 1984.

Vikings At Lions Score Update: Joe Webb Adds His First Touchdown Pass

After the Detroit Lions got another field goal from Jason Hanson to make the score 34-21, the Minnesota Vikings have come back with another touchdown drive and have made this. . .unbelievably. . .a six-point game.

The drive included a bunch of big plays by quarterback Joe Webb, in the game in relief of an injured Christian Ponder. The Vikings got deep into Detroit territory, and found themselves facing a 4th-and-2. However, Toby Gerhart managed to convert the play for the Vikings, and a run by Webb got the team even closer to the goal line.

On 1st-and-goal from the 2-yard line, Webb went play-action and found Gerhart for a touchdown pass. It was the first touchdown reception of Gerhart's career, and the first passing touchdown of Webb's career. Webb had three rushing touchdowns prior to that, including a 65-yard run earlier in the second half that set a record for the longest touchdown run by a quarterback.

So somehow, despite having turned the ball over five times, the Minnesota Vikings find themselves within six points of the Detroit Lions at 34-28 with about seven minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Vikings At Lions Score Update: Joe Webb With A Ridiculous Touchdown Run

The Vikings have had to make a change at quarterback, and it may have sparked a little something.

Starter Christian Ponder has been forced out of the game after what can only be called a cheap shot by Detroit linebacker Stephen Tulloch. Ponder limped off the field, and has been replaced by Joe Webb.

Webb did a heck of a job. . .with his legs. After converting two consecutive third downs with his legs, he faced another one from his own 35-yard line. He managed to avoid an oncharging Cliff Avril, and did the rest from there, going sixty-five yards for the score. Webb had three carries for 77 yards on that drive, including the huge 65-yard run.

So, despite turning the ball over five times, the Minnesota Vikings now find themselves within ten points of the Detroit Lions at 31-21. The Lions just had a huge kickoff return into Minnesota territory negated by a holding penalty, so Detroit will start out deep in their own territory with 4:21 left in the third quarter of play.

Vikings At Lions Score Update: Minnesota Trails 31-14 At Halftime

Teams that turn the ball over four times in a game tend to not win a lot of football games. Teams that turn the ball over four times in the first half tend to win even less. But that's where the Minnesota Vikings find themselves after two quarters of play in Detroit, as they trail the Lions by a score of 31-17.

Towards the end of the first half, the Vikings turned the ball over for the fourth time on a fumble by Lorenzo Booker. Booker has gotten two carries on the afternoon. . .both of them resulted in the ball being on the turf. The Vikings recovered the first one, but weren't so fortunate the second time as the Lions set up deep in Minnesota territory.

Fortunately, the Vikings were able to hold the Lions to a 30-yard Jason Hanson field goal, and they trail 31-14 going into the locker room at halftime.

One positive for the Vikings in this one is that they have already sacked Lions' quarterback Matthew Stafford four times on the afternoon, three of them coming courtesy of defensive end Jared Allen. . .or, as Brian Billick seems bound and determined to call him, "Gerald Allen." Those three sacks give Allen 100.5 for his career, and 17.5 for the season. That latter number marks a career high for Allen, who is now five sacks away from tying Michael Strahan's single-season mark in that category. Congratulations to Allen on that achievement.

The other sack for the Vikings went to defensive tackle Kevin Williams.

We're at halftime at Ford Field, and the Minnesota Vikings trail the Detroit Lions by a score of 31-14.

Vikings At Lions Score Update: Percy Harvin Finds Pay Dirt For Minnesota

The Minnesota Vikings dug themselves into a big hole early, but at least they're not rolling over or anything.

After Jason Hanson kicked the ball out of bounds after the Detroit Lions' latest score, the Vikings went to work again, with Christian Ponder leading another very nice drive. He had a couple of very nice throws as the Vikings moved down the field, and ultimately got the Vikings to first-and-goal at the Detroit 7-yard line after a completion to Devin Aromashodu.

On that first-and-goal play, the Vikings went to their most reliable non-Adrian Peterson player, Percy Harvin, and he brought in a 7-yard pass from Ponder for his seventh touchdown of the season. With the touchdown, the Vikings cut the deficit to 28-14.

The Vikings have forced the Lions to punt again, and they will start at midfield trailing 28-14. Detroit got the ball first in this one, but the Vikings are fighting back, trailing 28-14 with a little less than six minutes left in the first half.

Vikings At Lions Score Update: Alphonso Smith Gets A Second Defensive TD For Detroit

The Minnesota Vikings are starting a rookie at quarterback in Christian Ponder. Sometimes, rookie quarterbacks make throws that they shouldn't. That was clearly the case early in the second quarter at Ford Field against the Detroit Lions.

On a second down play, Ponder dropped back to pass and once again found a wide open Alphonso Smith. As we intimated earlier on this afternoon, Smith still plays for the Lions and not the Vikings, so that's a bad thing. Smith went untouched into the end zone for a 30-yard return, and the Lions had pushed their lead back to three touchdowns at 28-7.

It has been a rough afternoon for all three phases of the Vikings' team thus far. The sad part? We're only two and a half minutes into the third quarter. A long afternoon has the potential to get even longer for fans of the purple and gold.

As it stands now, we have 12:33 left in the first half of play, and the Minnesota Vikings trail the Detroit Lions by a score of 28-7, with 21 of Detroit's points coming directly off of Minnesota turnovers.

Vikings At Lions Score Update: Visanthe Shiancoe Gets Minnesota On The Board

Say what you will about the Minnesota Vikings, but they're at least going to fight, it looks like.

The Vikings answered the Detroit Lions' most recent touchdown with a 10-play, 80-yard touchdown drive of their own on which Christian Ponder looked very good. After Toby Gerhart and Lorenzo Booker had a couple of carries to move the Vikings into Detroit territory, Ponder went to work. He made a great audible to hit Visanthe Shiancoe for a big gain, and found Percy Harvin for 17 yards on a big third down play to give the Vikings a first-and-goal at the Detroit 7.

On the next play, Shiancoe lined up next to Ponder in the backfield, faked like he was going to block, and took a nice screen pass from Ponder for a 7-yard touchdown and allowed Minnesota to cut the deficit to 21-7.

The Lions have again driven into Vikings territory as the first quarter comes to an end, with the Minnesota defense putting up little resistance.

Vikings At Lions Score Update: Brandon Pettigrew Finds The End Zone

It's getting worse for the Minnesota Vikings against the Detroit Lions. When you consider that they were already down 14 points less than five minutes into the game, that takes some doing, but it's getting worse.

After a three-and-out by Minnesota, Stefan Logan returned Chris Kluwe's punt into Minnesota territory at the 34-yard line. The Lions then turned a 3rd-and-10 play into an 18-yard gain with a tight end screen to Brandon Pettigrew, and on the next play Pettigrew was wide open for a 12-yard touchdown pass that made the score 21-0 in favor of Detroit.

Depending on which source you listen to, Cedric Griffin may or may not have been benched. He was replaced by Benny Sapp on the last Detroit series, but it doesn't appear to have made a whole lot of difference. Matthew Stafford has completed six of his eight passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns on the afternoon already, and we still have about six minutes left in the first quarter.

Yep, it's breaking down in Detroit for the Minnesota Vikings. Hopefully things can turn around from here on out, but with the way things have looked so far, we're not holding our collective breath.

Vikings At Lions Score Update: Titus Young Puts Detroit On The Board Again

Things are starting to look ugly early for the Minnesota Vikings in Detroit against the Lions, folks.

On Minnesota's second offensive series, Percy Harvin took an end-around handoff for 32 yards to put the Vikings into Detroit territory. On the next play, Christian Ponder threw to a wide open Alphonso Smith. . .the problem with this being that Alphonso Smith is a member of the Detroit Lions, not the Minnesota Vikings. The interception gave the Lions the ball back near midfield.

Three plays later, after another sack by Jared Allen, Matthew Stafford found rookie Titus Young wide open on a 3rd-and-14 play for a 57-yard touchdown catch to give the Lions a 14-0 lead. Cedric Griffin started out covering Young. . .and I use the word "covering" very loosely there. . .but by the time Stafford saw him, there was nobody even close to him.

So, with 9:45 left in the first quarter at Ford Field, the Vikings have already turned the ball over twice and find themselves trailing the Detroit Lions by a score of 14-0.

Vikings At Lions Score Update: Defensive Touchdown Gives Detroit Early Lead

Once again, the Minnesota Vikings have given up an early touchdown when the defense was nowhere to be found.

After allowing one first down to the Lions on their first series, Minnesota forced a punt that was taken at the 9-yard line. On the Vikings' first play from scrimmage, Christian Ponder faked a handoff to Toby Gerhart and dropped back to pass, and Lions' defensive end Cliff Avril beat Phil Loadholt like a drum around the right edge. Avril got to Ponder and forced a fumble that wound up bouncing into the end zone. Stephen Tulloch jumped on the fumble in the end zone, and the Lions had an early touchdown.

This is the second game in a row that the Vikings' offense has surrendered a touchdown early, as last week the Denver Broncos got an interception for a score for their first score in Minneapolis.

We have 12:56 left in the first quarter, and the Detroit Lions have already staked themselves to a 7-0 lead.

Detroit Lions Injury Report And Inactive List, Week 14: Smith, Fairley Inactive Against Vikings

Minnesota Vikings Injury Report and Inactive List: Ponder Ready To Start Against Lions, Peterson Inactive

The Minnesota Vikings visit the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon but they won't have their full complement of offensive weapons to throw at the Lions.

As previously posted, Adrian Peterson is listed on the team's official inactive list for the game, missing his third straight game with a high ankle sprain. Bruising running back Toby Gerhart will continue starting in place of Peterson in the Vikings backfield. Peterson is with the team in Detroit and hoped to wake up Sunday morning feeling good enough to go, but that wasn't the case. 

Quarterback Christian Ponder will be active and ready to start after spending the week listed as questionable while tending to a hip injury.

Here is the full list of inactive players for the Vikings.

#Vikings Inactives vs. Lions - 28 RB Adrian Peterson, 31CB Chris Cook, 57 LB Xavier Adibi, 63 C Brandon Fusco, 75 OT DeMarcus Love, 89 TE Allen Reisner, 91 DE D'Aundre Reed.

Minnesota Vikings Injury Update: Adrian Peterson Out Against Lions

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson continues to struggle with a high ankle sprain and after giving it a test on Sunday morning, he has been ruled out for Minnesota's week 14 game against the Detroit Lions.

NFL.com reporter Jason LaCanfora confirmed that Peterson will miss his third straight game on Sunday but holds out hope to return next week.

Adrian Peterson will not play today. Traveled with team and worked out before game. Barring a setback I suspect he plays Week 15

With Peterson still on the shelf, second-year running back Toby Gerhart will start for the Vikings.

Christian Ponder Fantasy Projection Week 14

Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback Christian Ponder delivered some solid fantasy football production last week in Minnesota's wild overtime loss to the Denver Broncos. Can he carry that momentum over against the Detroit Lions on Sunday?

Ponder threw the ball 47 times for 381 yards with three touchdown passes to add to the yardage. While Ponder spread the ball around with four different player catching at least four passes, he was also able to get the ball to dynamic playmaker Percy Harvin in space where he could do more damage with his legs. Harvin's 156 yards receiving and two touchdowns help open up the Vikings offensive attack which went into the game struggling to put points on the board.

Ponder's big numbers came without the aid of running back Adrian Peterson to draw the attention of the Denver defense. Peterson remains questionable to play with a high ankle sprain so even if AP does give it a go, the Vikings won't be able to rely on him to carry a heavy load.

Ponder dealt with a bad hip all week but expects to play. Despite the fantasy outburst last week, the numberFire projections remain cautious for Ponder, expecting him to complete 19.69 of 31.35 passes for 218.71 yards with 1.46 TDs and 0.88 interceptions.

Pretty safe to say any fantasy owners turning to Ponder today will need to see him exceed those projections, as will the Vikings if they want to beat the Lions.

ESPN Fantasy Football Week 14 Most Added/Dropped Players: Gerhart Offers Solid RB Option If Peterson Is Out

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson remains questionable to play against the Detroit Lions on Sunday with a high ankle sprain. With many fantasy leagues heading into playoff mode, no doubt many owners will wait until the last second to set  their RB lineup while holding out hope that AP will give it a go.

If Peterson is unable to go, it will be the third game in a row that he has missed, leaving the primary running back role to Toby Gerhart. The second-year back found his grove last week against Denver when he rushed for 91 yards while also tacking on eight receptions for 42 yards. 

Gerhart did not get in the end zone last week but his numbers are definitely trending in the right direction and fantasy owners looking for a late boost are taking notice. According to ESPN's latest Most Added/Dropped Player lists, Gerhart ranks fourth on the Most Added Players list. 

But while Peterson sits and waits to return to the field, many fantasy owners are looking for RB help from Toby Gerhart. According to ESPN's latest Most Added/Dropped Player lists, Gerhart ranks third on the Most Added Players list. This is up one spot from last week when he ranked fourth, as Gerhart can now be found on a roster in nearly half (49.5%) of ESPN's fantasy leagues, an increase of 17.4%.

So while Adrian Peterson has been on the sidelines the past two weeks, he continues to impact fantasy football leagues.

Vikings Vs. Lions: Time, TV Schedule, Radio Streaming And More

The Minnesota Vikings have had a rough season, now out of the race for the NFC North and not a wildcard competitor, and the theme of the season has quickly centered on the progression of rookie quarterback Christian Ponder. On Sunday, they have a chance to pick up a morale-centered win when they take on the division rival Detroit Lions. 

Detroit is hoping for a wildcard berth after dropping straight games against the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints. The best thing the Vikings can do right now is get a morale win over the Lions and play spoiler to their playoff hopes. And, as usual, they'll be looking to get Christian Ponder a good game to help build confidence and give them hope for next season. The Lions are well out of reach in the NFC North division, but they're hoping for another shot at perhaps the 49ers, Packers or Saints in the playoffs with a wildcard berth.

Game Date/Time: Sunday, December 11, 1:00 p.m. ET

Location: Ford Field, Detroit, MI

TV Schedule: FOX (TV Distribution Map)

TV Announcers: Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick

Radio: KFAN FM 100.3    

Minnesota Vikings Injury Update: QB Ponder Expects To Start Against Detroit Lions

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder has been listed as questionable all week for Sunday's game at the Detroit Lions, but the rookie expects to start according to reported comments the rookie had concerning the injury.

Ponder spent the week tending to a hip injury suffered in last week's loss to the Denver Bronocs with various forms of treatment and now feels as though he will be able to give it a go on Sunday.

"I'm confident that I'll be able to go. I think it's a matter of my effectiveness," he said. "I don't know how effective I'll be. I would like to think I'd be playing 100 percent, but I don't know if that's 100 percent true."

If Ponder can indeed play, it will give the rookie a chance to earn more respect from his teammates, showing his willingness to play through an injury as the team continues to struggle to notch wins. Adrian Peterson hopes to return to the backfield, as well but may still be limited, so Ponder will remain a focal point of the Vikings offense if he can remain in the game and avoid a setback with his hip.

Backup quarterback Joe Webb will be ready to step in for Ponder, if needed. He has taken most of the practice reps this week for Minnesota, preparing as if he will start.

Detroit Lions Injury Report, Week 14: Kevin Smith, Nick Fairley Listed As Questionable Vs. Vikings

Lions RB Kevin Smith (ankle) was limited in practice today, but came up lame and had to leave it early. He is officially listed as questionable for Sunday, but all indications are that Maurice Morris will start and Smith will not play.  

Defensive end Lawrence Jackson will be out again while defensive backs Chris Houston and Louis Delmas are listed as doubtful. Nick Fairley, who was in a boot all week, is questionable with a foot injury.

Here is the Lions full injury report for Sunday's home game vs. the Vikings: 

Minnesota Vikings Injury Report, Week 14: Adrian Peterson, Christian Ponder Questionable Vs. Lions

Adrian Peterson (ankle) returned to practice on Thursday, making it more likely that he will play on Sunday vs. the Lions. Christian Ponder (hip) was limited and his status is still up in the air. Both will likely be game-time decisions, but if they can't go Toby Gerhart will start at running back and Joe Webb will start at quarterback. 

Here is the full Vikings injury report (Friday's practice report, status for Sunday vs. Lions): 

CB Chris Cook (Not Injury Related) -- Out (Definitely Will Not Play), Out

RB Adrian Peterson (Ankle) -- Limited Participation in Practice, Questionable

QB Christian Ponder (Hip) -- Limited Participation in Practice, Questionable

CB Asher Allen (Shoulder) -- Full Participation in Practice, Probable

LB Chad Greenway (Elbow) -- Full Participation in Practice, Probable

DE Everson Griffen (Quadricep) -- Full Participation in Practice, Probable

LB E.J. Henderson (Shoulder) -- Full Participation in Practice, Probable

G Anthony Herrera (Knee) -- Full Participation in Practice, Probable

G Steve Hutchinson (Illness) Full Participation in Practice, Probable

DE Brian Robison (Concussion) -- Full Participation in Practice, Probable

TE Visanthe Shiancoe (Hand) -- Full Participation in Practice, Probable

WR Percy Harvin (Finger) -- Limited Participation in Practice, Probable

Adrian Peterson Injury: Vikings RB Limited On Friday, Should Be Game-Time Decision

The Minnesota Vikings have been hopeful that running back Adrian Peterson could return on Sunday from a high ankle sprain injury. On Friday, Peterson practiced yet again, but it was in limited fashion, not taking part in group drills and instead working out on his own. It would be surprising if he played on Sunday, given the current state of the VIkings season - they're out of the NFC North competition, aren't within striking distance of a wildcard and are focusing on the development of rookie quarterback Christian Ponder.

Regardless, he'll likely be a game-time decision on Sunday. If he can't go, then Toby Gerhart would get the start, with perhaps a bit of Percy Harvin in there to change things up. The Vikings will be more focused on keeping Ponder upright on Sunday, as they'll be taking on the Detroit Lions, who have a lackluster run defense, so Peterson may not even be needed. It's hard to see him playing if he's not 100% with no risk of re-injuring the ankle.