1. Locke not cutting it either

The Vikings offense deserves the brunt of the criticism after giving up eight sacks, three interceptions, 11 tackles for loss and 12 quarterback knockdowns Sunday. But let's not overlook punter Jeff Locke. When a team is missing an Adrian Peterson and a Kyle Rudolph, and is learning how to play a new defense, the punter is a vital component. Locke has been inconsistent throughout his 22-game career. Sunday, he was consistent, but consistently poor. He punted seven times for a 37.9 net average and poor hang time. The Lions' average starting point following a punt was their 35-yard line. They didn't start one of those seven possessions inside their 23-yard line. The worst punt was a 39-yard line drive — and 30-yard net — that led to a 60-yard touchdown drive and a 17-0 lead.

2. Asiata: Vikings kicking 'our own butt'

It's been a while since some of us have watched the Lions play smarter and more disciplined than their opponent. For this Extra Point, we'll single out one particular penalty as an example of a perfectly ill-placed momentum killer. At the 6:14 mark of the second quarter, the Vikings trailed only 7-0 when running back Matt Asiata came on in relief of surprise starter Jerick McKinnon. It was first-and-10 at the Vikings 10-yard line when a determined Asiata blasted up the middle for an 11-yard gain. But you won't find that 11-yard gain in the boxscore because right guard Vladimir Ducasse was flagged for holding. The Vikings went three and out. "We need to stop kicking the Vikings' butt," Asiata said. "We're kicking our own butt every time we get a penalty like that. I was trying to set some momentum, hit the hole and get downfield. But seeing the flag, it just hurt."

3. Nine flags, nine offenders

The Vikings entered the game as the 13th-most penalized team in the league with 34. They had nine players commit one penalty apiece for a total of 60 yards on a day when the offense gained only 212. The Vikings offense had four penalties, including three on the offensive line. Special teams had two that were accepted and one that was offsetting. And the defense had three. On the 14-play drive that gave the Lions a 17-0 lead, safety Harrison Smith and cornerback Xavier Rhodes were flagged for defensive holding three plays apart. Smith's came on a 7-yard gain on third-and-8. "We just can't get those because that made it a long drive and pretty much sealed it," Smith said. "Use better technique, don't grab. That's about all there is to say."

4. Johnson's wild week ends

A week after he became the latest Vikings player to be arrested, defensive tackle Tom Johnson might have had his best game, at least as a pass rusher. His sack on third-and-12 at the Vikings 18-yard line led to Detroit's missed 44-yard field goal. "I was doing some type of stunt step," Johnson said. "The center came down, and I was able to power and open his shoulder and the quarterback was right there." Johnson also had another knockdown on second-and-20. He stuck his helmet in Matthew Stafford's chest with a blow that the quarterback was slow to get up from. "He didn't say anything," Johnson said. "He just fell to the ground."

5. Hello, red zone run defense?

Overall, the Vikings run defense gave up 3.6 yards per carry. That's a full 2 yards better than the per-carry average from the past two games. However, the stats are deceiving when looking at the three powerful snaps the Lions rammed up the middle inside the Vikings 10-yard line early in the fourth quarter. On fourth-and-1, Detroit's fourth-string running back, George Winn, blasted forward for 4 yards. Joique Bell went 5 yards to the 1-yard line on the next snap and scored on the next play for a 17-0 lead. "The fourth-and-1 is a hard one to take because we were trying to sub at that point," nose tackle Linval Joseph said. "Detroit hurried up and snapped it on us quick. That was a good play on their part. It was a quick snap. That was a play where you're trying to get set, you're trying to figure out the call and a lot of stuff is going on. That's one we wish we had back."