Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions: 2006 Week 14 Recap

Game story

In Week 14 of the 2006 NFL season on 2006-12-10, the Minnesota Vikings took care of business against the Detroit Lions, pulling away with a 30–20 final that built a comfortable lead.

The highest-scoring period was Q2 with 16 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

J. Kitna (Detroit Lions) paced the passing game, with -17.08 total EPA, and +5.2% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, K. Jones (Detroit Lions) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +6.19 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (-13.8% win probability) landed in the opening quarter when Detroit Lions changed the game: (5:33) 8-J.Kitna pass short left to 11-R.Williams to MIN 46 for 7 yards. FUMBLES, RECOVERED by MIN-23-C.Griffin at MIN 44. 23-C.Griffin to MIN 40 for -4 yards (87-M.Furrey). PENALTY on DET-34-K.Jones,

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 K. Jones · Detroit Lions · Receiving · +6.19 total EPA · 6 snaps · +1.03 EPA/play
2. 2 M. Robinson · Minnesota Vikings · Receiving · +4.25 total EPA · 3 snaps · +1.42 EPA/play
3. 3 C. Bradford · Detroit Lions · Receiving · +3.15 total EPA · 5 snaps · +0.63 EPA/play
4. 4 B. Johnson · Minnesota Vikings · Rushing · +2.94 total EPA · 4 snaps · +0.73 EPA/play
5. 5 T. Taylor · Minnesota Vikings · Receiving · +2.77 total EPA · 1 snaps · +2.77 EPA/play
6. 6 A. Pinner · Minnesota Vikings · Rushing · +2.56 total EPA · 29 snaps · +0.09 EPA/play
7. 7 M. Moore · Minnesota Vikings · Receiving · +2.12 total EPA · 2 snaps · +1.06 EPA/play
8. 8 M. Furrey · Detroit Lions · Receiving · +1.91 total EPA · 9 snaps · +0.21 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• Minnesota Vikings — A. Pinner (Q1 53:05)
• Minnesota Vikings — A. Pinner (Q1 47:39)
• Minnesota Vikings — B. Johnson (Q2 43:47)
• Detroit Lions — J. Fletcher (Q2 38:19)
• Minnesota Vikings — A. Pinner (Q4 13:50)
• Detroit Lions — K. Jones (J. Kitna pass) (Q4 10:57)

Field goals

• Detroit Lions — J. Hanson (Q2 31:35)
• Minnesota Vikings — R. Longwell (Q3 27:33)
• Detroit Lions — J. Hanson (Q3 22:32)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: Minnesota Vikings won the period 14–0. Minnesota Vikings found the end zone from the DET 3 (Q1 53:05) — (8:05) 22-A.Pinner left tackle for 3 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Minnesota Vikings added 1 points from the DET 2 (Q1 53:01) — 8-R.Longwell extra point is GOOD, Center-46-C.Loeffler, Holder-5-C.Kluwe.; Minnesota Vikings found the end zone from the DET 4 (Q1 47:39) — (2:39) 22-A.Pinner left end for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Minnesota Vikings added 1 points from the DET 2 (Q1 47:32) — 8-R.Longwell extra point is GOOD, Center-46-C.Loeffler, Holder-5-C.Kluwe..

The second quarter: Detroit Lions won the period 10–6. Minnesota Vikings found the end zone from the DET 3 (Q2 43:47) — (13:47) 14-B.Johnson right end for 3 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Detroit Lions found the end zone from the DET 13 (Q2 38:19); Detroit Lions added 1 points from the MIN 2 (Q2 38:04) — 4-J.Hanson extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-2-N.Harris.; Detroit Lions connected on a field goal from the MIN 34 (Q2 31:35) — (1:35) 4-J.Hanson 53 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-2-N.Harris..

The third quarter: The quarter finished even at 3–3. Minnesota Vikings connected on a field goal from the DET 12 (Q3 27:33) — (12:33) 8-R.Longwell 30 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-46-C.Loeffler, Holder-5-C.Kluwe.; Detroit Lions connected on a field goal from the MIN 27 (Q3 22:32) — (7:32) 4-J.Hanson 45 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-2-N.Harris..

The fourth quarter: The quarter finished even at 7–7. Minnesota Vikings found the end zone from the DET 1 (Q4 13:50) — (13:50) 22-A.Pinner left tackle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.; Minnesota Vikings added 1 points from the DET 2 (Q4 13:46) — 8-R.Longwell extra point is GOOD, Center-46-C.Loeffler, Holder-5-C.Kluwe.; Detroit Lions found the end zone from the MIN 23 (Q4 10:57) — (10:57) 8-J.Kitna pass short right to 34-K.Jones for 23 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Detroit Lions added 1 points from the MIN 2 (Q4 10:48) — 4-J.Hanson extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-2-N.Harris..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• Detroit Lions (Q1 50:33) — (5:33) 8-J.Kitna pass short left to 11-R.Williams to MIN 46 for 7 yards. FUMBLES, RECOVERED by MIN-23-C.Griffin at MIN 44. 23-C.Griffin to MIN 40 for -4 yards (87-M.Furrey). PENALTY on DET-34-K.Jones, [WPA -13.8% · EPA -5.11]
• Detroit Lions (Q4 3:46) — (3:46) 8-J.Kitna sacked at MIN 4 for -3 yards (24-D.Smith). [WPA -9.4% · EPA -4.01]
• Detroit Lions (Q1 46:21) — (1:21) 8-J.Kitna pass deep middle intended for 87-M.Furrey INTERCEPTED by 24-D.Smith at MIN 31. 24-D.Smith pushed ob at DET 22 for 47 yards (76-J.Backus). [WPA -8.7% · EPA -6.18]
• Minnesota Vikings (Q2 38:19) — (8:19) 14-B.Johnson pass short right intended for 89-T.Taylor INTERCEPTED by 21-J.Fletcher at DET 12. 21-J.Fletcher for 88 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA -8.4% · EPA -11.87]
• Detroit Lions (Q3 19:33) — (4:33) (Shotgun) 8-J.Kitna pass short right to 87-M.Furrey to MIN 38 for 4 yards (23-C.Griffin). Play Challenged by MIN and REVERSED. (Shotgun) 8-J.Kitna pass short right to 87-M.Furrey to MIN 38 for [WPA -7.7% · EPA -4.11]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• Minnesota Vikings (Q2 38:19) — (8:19) 14-B.Johnson pass short right intended for 89-T.Taylor INTERCEPTED by 21-J.Fletcher at DET 12. 21-J.Fletcher for 88 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA -8.4% · EPA -11.87]
• Detroit Lions (Q1 46:21) — (1:21) 8-J.Kitna pass deep middle intended for 87-M.Furrey INTERCEPTED by 24-D.Smith at MIN 31. 24-D.Smith pushed ob at DET 22 for 47 yards (76-J.Backus). [WPA -8.7% · EPA -6.18]
• Detroit Lions (Q1 50:33) — (5:33) 8-J.Kitna pass short left to 11-R.Williams to MIN 46 for 7 yards. FUMBLES, RECOVERED by MIN-23-C.Griffin at MIN 44. 23-C.Griffin to MIN 40 for -4 yards (87-M.Furrey). PENALTY on DET-34-K.Jones, [WPA -13.8% · EPA -5.11]
• Detroit Lions (Q3 29:16) — (14:16) 8-J.Kitna sacked at DET 13 for -5 yards (98-D.Scott). FUMBLES (98-D.Scott), RECOVERED by MIN-93-K.Williams at DET 18. 93-K.Williams to DET 18 for no gain (68-B.Stokes). [WPA -6.5% · EPA -4.39]

Quarterback report card

J.Kitna led all passers in efficiency for Detroit Lions, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• J.Kitna (Detroit Lions) · 49 dropbacks · 57.1% completion · +5.2% CPOE · -0.35 EPA/play · -17.08 total EPA
• B.Johnson (Minnesota Vikings) · 25 dropbacks · 56.0% completion · -8.9% CPOE · -0.25 EPA/play · -6.15 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

Despite the final score, Minnesota Vikings generated the better offensive EPA per play (-0.08 vs -0.29), suggesting they moved the ball more efficiently.

• Detroit Lions: 12 drives, -20.74 total EPA, 3 scoring drives
• Minnesota Vikings: 13 drives, -6.65 total EPA, 6 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• Minnesota Vikings leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• K. Jones (Detroit Lions) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
• J. Kitna (DET) beat expectation through the air — positive CPOE game for stack builds.
• B. Johnson (MIN) finished below expected efficiency — volume may have masked accuracy issues.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. Minnesota Vikings TD (+6) — Q1 53:05 · DET 3 · Score 6-0
   (8:05) 22-A.Pinner left tackle for 3 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
2. Minnesota Vikings XP (+1) — Q1 53:01 · DET 2 · Score 7-0
   8-R.Longwell extra point is GOOD, Center-46-C.Loeffler, Holder-5-C.Kluwe.
3. Minnesota Vikings TD (+6) — Q1 47:39 · DET 4 · Score 13-0
   (2:39) 22-A.Pinner left end for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
4. Minnesota Vikings XP (+1) — Q1 47:32 · DET 2 · Score 14-0
   8-R.Longwell extra point is GOOD, Center-46-C.Loeffler, Holder-5-C.Kluwe.
5. Minnesota Vikings TD (+6) — Q2 43:47 · DET 3 · Score 20-0
   (13:47) 14-B.Johnson right end for 3 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
6. Detroit Lions TD (+6) — Q2 38:19 · DET 13 · Score 20-6
   (8:19) 14-B.Johnson pass short right intended for 89-T.Taylor INTERCEPTED by 21-J.Fletcher at DET 12. 21-J.Fletcher for 88 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
7. Detroit Lions XP (+1) — Q2 38:04 · MIN 2 · Score 20-7
   4-J.Hanson extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-2-N.Harris.
8. Detroit Lions FG (+3) — Q2 31:35 · MIN 34 · Score 20-10
   (1:35) 4-J.Hanson 53 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-2-N.Harris.
9. Minnesota Vikings FG (+3) — Q3 27:33 · DET 12 · Score 23-10
   (12:33) 8-R.Longwell 30 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-46-C.Loeffler, Holder-5-C.Kluwe.
10. Detroit Lions FG (+3) — Q3 22:32 · MIN 27 · Score 23-13
    (7:32) 4-J.Hanson 45 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-2-N.Harris.
11. Minnesota Vikings TD (+6) — Q4 13:50 · DET 1 · Score 29-13
    (13:50) 22-A.Pinner left tackle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
12. Minnesota Vikings XP (+1) — Q4 13:46 · DET 2 · Score 30-13
    8-R.Longwell extra point is GOOD, Center-46-C.Loeffler, Holder-5-C.Kluwe.
13. Detroit Lions TD (+6) — Q4 10:57 · MIN 23 · Score 30-19
    (10:57) 8-J.Kitna pass short right to 34-K.Jones for 23 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
14. Detroit Lions XP (+1) — Q4 10:48 · MIN 2 · Score 30-20
    4-J.Hanson extra point is GOOD, Center-48-D.Muhlbach, Holder-2-N.Harris.