Vikings left tackle Matt Kalil had one the worst games in his career the first time he faced Lions defensive end Ezekiel Ansah this season. His performance improved dramatically the second time around in the 16-14 loss at Ford Field on Sunday.

Ansah was held sackless for the first time in three games. Kalil held his own with the Vikings offense neutralizing the Lions pass rush by rolling rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater out of the pocket and incorporating quick passes.

Ansah had a career high 2.5 sacks on Kalil at TCF Bank Stadium in the first contest. He had just a tackle to his name in the stats sheet.

"That was his only stat, so I think I came out of there pretty well," Kalil said. "He's a pretty raw player, and he hasn't even tapped his potential, so I'll be seeing a lot of him. To play well against him, coming out on top like that, felt pretty good."

The Vikings reduced their sack total in half in their second, and final, matchup against the Lions. They allowed four sacks with three backup offensive linemen at left guard, Vladimir Ducasse, right guard, Joe Berger, and right tackle, Mike Harris.

"They do a lot of stuff and sometimes they'll stress the pocket," Kalil said. "[Ndamukong] Suh was on his game too making some plays, but it's just different things to help keep those guys off balance."