Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson booed early, then silenced in return to Detroit

DETROIT – Tight end T.J. Hockenson heard boos from Lions fans at Ford Field after his 8-yard catch on the Vikings’ opening drive.

It was all downhill from there for Hockenson and the Vikings offense during a 31-9 loss to the Lions. By the end of the game, Lions fans were mocking the “Skol” chant with their own overhead claps.

Hockenson caught only two of eight targets for 9 yards while quarterback Sam Darnold struggled with accuracy and timing while throwing to the big tight end. Also in the first half, Darnold sailed two third-down passes over Hockenson’s helmet; on the first, Hockenson got his fingertips on the ball, but he couldn’t get anywhere near the second pass that soared over the middle of the field.

Hockenson also did not benefit from referee Brad Rogers and his crew deciding to swallow most whistles. The Lions drew eight accepted flags for 49 yards (two for illegal contact in coverage), while the Vikings had six flags for 30 yards.

Despite the Lions entering Sunday night tied with an NFL-high 18 defensive pass interference penalties, officials did not flag Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone when he appeared to hit Hockenson’s right arm before a third-down target arrived in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Hockenson saw a pass thrown behind him get deflected by Lions safety Brian Branch. Hockenson also had a 5-yard grab taken away by a Lions challenge that successfully argued the pass hit the Ford Field turf before the catch.

Hockenson is now 0-3 against his former team since being traded from Detroit to Minnesota in the middle of the 2022 season. He missed the previous two Vikings-Lions meetings because of last year’s hit by Lions safety Kerby Joseph that tore two ligaments in Hockenson’s knee.

The Vikings defense finished the regular season with a league-leading 24 interceptions and as the only defense in the NFL with one takeaway in every game.

They grabbed two interceptions off Lions quarterback Jared Goff, marking only the third time all season Goff threw multiple picks in a game. Goff opened the game dicing up Vikings blitzes, but safety Josh Metellus got the upper hand when he tipped a hurried Goff throw into the air for linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. to intercept in the second quarter.

During the Lions’ first possession of the second half, safety Harrison Smith made a leaping interception on a deep throw intended for Lions receiver Jameson Williams, giving Vikings the ball back right after they were stopped on fourth down.

The Vikings offense settled for field goals off both takeaways.

Edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel nearly had a third pick-six of the season when he jumped a screen attempt, but Van Ginkel dropped the would-be interception. The Lions capped that fourth-quarter drive with a touchdown to gain a 24-9 lead.

Rookie Will Reichard, a sixth-round pick, made the first 35 kicks of his NFL career, but he was uneven again for a second week in a row. Reichard made three field goals, from 51, 31, and 25 yards, while missing another attempt from 51 yards wide right.

Last week against the Packers, Reichard missed two field goals and had a kickoff land short of the landing zone (a penalty that puts the offense at the 40-yard line). Sunday, he again gave an opponent good field position when he sent a kickoff out of bounds with 20 seconds left in the first half.

After Reichard’s missed kickoff, Goff completed two quick passes for 30 yards, leading to a Detroit field goal and a 10-6 deficit for the Vikings at halftime.

The Lions entered Sunday missing six starters from their Week 1, opening-day lineup, including top defensive linemen Aidan Hutchinson and Alim McNeill. The Vikings were missing only one Week 1 starter in left tackle Christian Darrisaw.

Detroit lost another in the middle of the game when cornerback Terrion Arnold, a rookie first-round pick, exited the game in the third quarter because of a foot injury and did not return. The Lions responded by moving their most veteran cornerback, Amik Robertson, around the formations to follow receiver Justin Jefferson, who finished with only three catches for 54 yards.

Anzalone returned from a six-game absence, giving the Lions defense a boost.

“He’s really our quarterback on defense,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said of Anzalone, who led the Lions with seven tackles and also had a pass deflection and a hit on Darnold. “There’s a lot of confidence he brings, a lot of energy. He can calm the storms. ... I thought it was going to take him a minute to work himself back in, and it didn’t take long at all.”

The Lions deployed local celebrities to get the Ford Field crowd going before Vikings possessions early in the game.

Before the Vikings’ opening series, Lions legend and Hall of Fame receiver Calvin Johnson came onto the field to wave at the fans and motion for them to get loud. Then followed Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders prior to the Vikings’ second drive.

Before the Vikings’ third possession, the Lions turned to hip hop legend Eminem, famously from Detroit, to increase the noise level by showing him in his stadium suite while playing his song “Lose Yourself.” The Lions also had actor Taylor Lautner, a Michigan native, on the field before kickoff.