Vikings show several new looks, but some don't work out

Operating under the philosophy that no one wants to become predictable, especially in the NFL, Brad Childress said the Vikings coaching staff would spend the bye week considering new wrinkles.

One of those wrinkles didn't exactly work out the way the Vikings were hoping in their 27-10 victory over Detroit on Sunday. Holding a 3-0 lead in the first quarter and with the ball at the Lions 17, quarterback Brett Favre, working from the shotgun, gave an inside handoff to Adrian Peterson. Peterson attempted to flip the ball to Percy Harvin, but Harvin never got control and the ball ended up on the ground. Detroit's Sammie Hill recovered at his own 29.

Peterson was charged with the fumble and took the blame for the failed exchange. Childress said the problem was that Peterson put the ball on Harvin's back shoulder.

"I think we score on that play," Favre said. "They are a fast-flow defense and we wanted to use that against them. We hurt ourselves on that, but that double-reverse to Percy, I really think that we would have scored. ... A guy like Percy, you want him to get the ball in a lot of different ways, and you see you don't have to throw anyone deep down the middle to make big plays. ...

"We can't just show, run to the left, run to the left, pass to the right. It's got to be a good mix."

The Vikings didn't waste time giving the Lions different looks as Harvin took a straight reverse 7 yards on the first play from scrimmage. "We just saw something from the last time [in Week 2] that said we ought to run a reverse because they are a tremendous pursuing defense," Childress said. "If nobody's checking it then we have to keep coming with it."

There also were some simply surprising play calls or formations.

• With a third-and-7 at the Detroit 8 on the Vikings' opening drive, Favre handed to Peterson for a 4-yard gain that set up a 22-yard field goal by Ryan Longwell. So why not have Favre throw into the end zone? "It was a run-pass check and they gave us the look that we didn't want to throw it into," Childress said.

• In the second quarter, the Vikings had a fourth-and-1 at the Lions 8. With Peterson at running back, fullback Jeff Dugan was stopped for no gain. "Usually you get down and get in behind the guys," Dugan said. "It didn't work today."

• Childress has been threatening to use Harvin on punt returns and he did so in a unique way Sunday. In the second quarter, Darius Reynaud lined up around midfield to return with Harvin to his left. Reynaud faked as if he were going to give the ball to Harvin before getting 20 yards, though a holding call wiped out the play.