The Vikings had 10 days to prepare for a home game against an injury-depleted divisional opponent.

They looked like they needed 100.

All that time, and their game plan included one interesting wrinkle – rookie running back Jerick McKinnon making his first NFL start.

They didn't find a way to make Cordarrelle Patterson a bigger part of the offense. They didn't fix their offensive line, which was dominated by Detroit's strong front seven. And offered little support for rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who found himself under pressure all day.

The result was a 17-3 loss that was easily explainable, given Detroit's strong defense, but unsightly nontheless. The result was another horrid offensive performance and another division loss.

The Vikings are 2-4 after the toughest six-game stretch of their schedule. Had they emerged from this stretch with Adrian Peterson, Kyle Rudolph and a confidence-boosting offensive line, the record would not be worrisome.

The way they're playing is.

The only bright spot on the offense was McKinnon, who looked explosive with the ball and even handled most of his pass-blocking duties well.

But on a windy day that made passes flutter, the Vikings couldn't run the ball or throw it downfield, and Bridgewater often looked like a man painfully aware of his circumstances.