MINNEAPOLIS _ During Mike Zimmer's first four years as the Vikings' head coach, his teams had lost five of eight meetings against the Detroit Lions, falling by way of self-inflicted wounds, late-game lapses and, at times, just plain weirdness.
On the three occasions the Vikings were able to break through the malaise and get the better of the Lions, they did it largely through the force of the pass-rushing crew they've carefully assembled under Zimmer. They battered quarterback Matthew Stafford so thoroughly in Week 2 of the 2015 season that he needed X-rays on his chest and ribs after the game. They sacked him seven times at Ford Field later that season, and applied consistent pressure against him on Thanksgiving Day last year, as they hung on to break a three-game losing streak against the Lions.
The Vikings' group of pass rushers can add another pelt to their wall after Sunday's game at U.S. Bank Stadium, the first in which the home team left victorious against the Lions. In a 24-9 victory against Detroit on Sunday, the Vikings sailed into their bye week comfortably, despite the fact they played without a raft of injured starters, lost Xavier Rhodes for part of the game and committed a pair of dubious turnovers.
But when the Vikings were able to come after Stafford with such ferocity, not much else factored into the final outcome. They set a team record by sacking the quarterback 10 times, leaning on their defensive line for all but one of the takedowns and pressuring Stafford so consistently he rarely had time to look downfield.
The quarterback threw for only 199 yards, with his longest throw of the day going for just 18 yards. And when Stafford was flushed out of the pocket in the fourth quarter, flipping an errant option pitch in the direction of Kerryon Johnson, Danielle Hunter scooped it up for a 32-yard fumble return touchdown that effectively sealed the game.
The Lions had invested a pair of first-round picks and signed veterans Rick Wagner and T.J. Lang over the past two seasons, in an attempt to shore up their line in front of Stafford. The group was no match for the Vikings _ and particularly Hunter, who finished the day with 3 { sacks along with the fumble recovery for a touchdown.
"Danielle is a great athlete," Zimmer said. "Great length, strong, physical. He's improved on being reactive. He just lets it rip now, and that's what makes him good."
Tom Johnson had 2 { sacks and Everson Griffen had 1 {. Stephen Weatherly had a sack, Sheldon Richardson split a sack with Johnson and Mackensie Alexander posted one on one of the Vikings' rare blitzes on Sunday.
"Amazing," Vikings wideout Adam Thielen said of Hunter. "Some of the plays he made, it was like no one was blocking him."
Said Richardson: "We left some sacks out there, to be honest with you."
Playing without injured wideout Stefon Diggs, Kirk Cousins threw for just 164 yards, as the Lions focused on Thielen and forced the Vikings to look elsewhere. Thielen caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Cousins in the first half, but saw his streak of 100-yard games halted at eight, as his attempt to break the NFL record he shares with Calvin Johnson end with a four-catch, 22-yard day. He was also Cousins' intended target on a first-half interception where the quarterback appeared to try and force the ball to Thielen, before Darius Slay peeled off Laquon Treadwell and picked off the pass.
The Vikings, though, were able to run for 128 yards on 23 attempts against the league's worst run defense, which had given up four plays of 50 yards or more already this season.
Dalvin Cook, playing his first game since Week 4 after returning from a strained hamstring, found a big hole on the left side of the Vikings' line in the second quarter, racing 70 yards on the longest run of his career to set up Thielen's touchdown. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Cook reached a top speed of 22.08 mph on the run, making him the fastest ball carrier in the NFL this season.
Latavius Murray scored on a 1-yard run to cap the opening drive of the game for the Vikings.
The Lions got within 7-6 on two 35-yard field goals from Matt Prater, but Cook's career-high 70-yard run set up the scoring pass to Thielen.
Dan Bailey hit a 39-yard field goal just before halftime for a 17-6 lead.
Cook ran for 89 yards on 10 carries and also caught four passes.
