Solid D: Lions Dominate Bridgewater, Vikings 17-3
By DAVE CAMPBELL/AP Pro Football Writer
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Detroit's defense was dominant again, making Teddy Bridgewater look like a rookie and Minnesota like a depleted team.
Tahir Whitehead intercepted Bridgewater twice, Joique Bell put the game away with a fourth-quarter touchdown run, and the Lions beat the Vikings 17-3 on Sunday.
With Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush missing, the Lions played a low-risk offense and punted nearly as often as the Vikings did on this sloppy afternoon. But the defense made another case for top billing in the league under new coordinator Teryl Austin. Ziggy Ansah had 2 1/2 of the eight sacks.
Bridgewater threw three interceptions in his second career start for the Vikings (2-4).
The biggest problem for Detroit was two more missed field goal attempts. Newcomer Matt Prater was 1 for 3, making a 52-yarder.
The Lions (4-2) won at Minnesota for only the second time in their last 17 trips.
Matthew Stafford wasn't at his best, missing his three-time All-Pro wide receiver as Johnson rested his ailing ankle.
But Stafford took care of the ball, and the Lions' defense did the rest against the sloppy Vikings.
Last week, the turnovers belonged to Christian Ponder while Bridgewater let his ankle heal. But the first-round draft pick's return to lineup was a sharp contrast from the way he dazzled in his first start, a 41-28 home win over Atlanta.
Two of the interceptions came off tipped balls, one at the line by Devin Taylor and another that went through running back Matt Asiata's hands. On a promising opening drive, though, Bridgewater locked his eyes on Cordarrelle Patterson in the end zone and threw late on a post pattern, allowing Glover Quin to pick the ball off with ease.
The Vikings talked this week about getting the ball more to Patterson, but he was a nonfactor again.
Bridgewater was left largely unprotected against that fierce Lions front four on another shaky performance by the Vikings offensive line. Jerick McKinnon moved ahead of Asiata as the featured runner, but his 82 total yards on 17 touches weren't nearly enough.
Bridgewater went 23 for 37 for 188 yards.
Stafford finished 19 for 33 for 185 yards. Bell carried 18 times for 74 yards and Theo Riddick caught five passes for 75 yards and a touchdown.
Riddick, a sixth-round draft pick out of Notre Dame last year, became the latest running back worked into the Detroit game plan with Bush sidelined by an ankle injury and Bell coming off a concussion that kept him out last week. Riddick later hurt his hamstring.
Prater, the third kicker used by the Lions in four weeks, was wide left from 50 yards and hit the left upright from 44. The Lions have missed 10 of 15 field goal tries this season.
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