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Vikings caught off guard by Detroit's Riddick

The Vikings defense struggled to stop Detroit's fill-in for Reggie Bush.

By Mark Craig

October 13, 2014 at 1:36PM

Running back Theo Riddick finished off a 9-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter and ended the game with five catches for 75 yards with Reggie Bush sidelined because of an ankle injury. For Riddick, a second-year pro from Notre Dame, it was his first receiving touchdown in the NFL. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

No Reggie Bush? No problem. Not as long as Theo Riddick is around.

Who?

"Yeah, we didn't have much film of him doing what he did today," Vikings cornerback Josh Robinson said after Riddick sparked a game-opening 80-yard touchdown drive to lift the Detroit Lions to a 17-3 win over the Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium on Sunday.

"But we realized right off the bat that they were going to use that guy like they use Reggie Bush."

Bush is a nine-year veteran/Vikings killer who has 471 career catches. But he was inactive because of an ankle injury, forcing the Lions to turn over their screen game to Riddick, a second-year pro whose four career catches for 26 yards all came last season.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer was confident his defense could shut down a Lions team that was missing Bush and No. 1 receiver Calvin Johnson. So confident that he chose to give the Lions the ball after winning the coin flip.

Seven plays, 80 yards and one Lions touchdown later, the Vikings discovered Riddick, last year's 199th overall draft pick, does a pretty good Bush impersonation.

Riddick touched the ball three times for 51 yards on the first drive. He went 41 yards with a screen pass against a five-man blitz and capped the drive with a 9-yard touchdown catch.

For the Vikings, it was the fifth consecutive week in which the defense has given up a touchdown on the first or second drive of the game. They've typically settled down defensively after that, but are 1-4 in those four games.

"I think sometimes we're too antsy in the beginning," cornerback Captain Munnerlyn said. "We get too excited instead of just going out relaxed and calm."

After the opening drive, the Vikings held the Lions to 175 yards on 58 plays and 3-for-14 on third down conversions. But when your offense is depleted and facing the NFL's No. 1 defense, one poor drive can be one too many.

"We have to figure out a way to outplay our opponent's defense," defensive end Brian Robison said. "We have to find a way to be perfect."

They were far from it on the 41-yard screen.

On second-and-3 from the 50, the Vikings put six defenders at the line and rushed five, including strong safety Robert Blanton. Linebacker Gerald Hodges was eyeing Riddick but reacted late to the screen and was shielded briefly by tight end Brandon Pettigrew.

"Riddick just got out in space and made a play," Hodges said. "Sort of like Reggie does."

Riddick, who had five catches for a game-high 75 yards, caught the ball at the Detroit 47 with two blockers in front of him. Center Dominic Raiola blocked free safety Harrison Smith downfield. When Smith finally got off the block, he turned outside as Riddick turned inside.

Linebacker Anthony Barr finally tracked Riddick down to make the tackle at the 9-yard line.

"It was a good call against our blitz," Robison said. "But then we settle in and play good defense. It makes you wonder why we can't do that from the start. You're always looking back on it and wondering what kind of ballgame it would have been had we done it from the start."

about the writer

Mark Craig

Sports reporter

Mark Craig has covered the NFL nearly every year since Brett Favre was a rookie back in 1991. A sports writer since 1987, he is covering his 30th NFL season out of 37 years with the Canton (Ohio) Repository (1987-99) and the Star Tribune (1999-present).