The Detroit Lions were fully aware that the Minnesota Vikings were going to unleash heavy blitz pressure on Sunday.

Minnesota brings extra rushers more than any team in the league, and that hasn’t changed since Brian Flores took over as defensive coordinator three seasons ago.

Even with that scouting advantage, Detroit still put together one of its worst offensive outings of the year. The Lions fell 27-24 to the Vikings, and the offensive line came out of the loss even more beaten up than before.

Minnesota piled up five sacks, 10 hits on Jared Goff, and 23 total pressures. Goff spent the afternoon scrambling for safety, the offensive line was out of rhythm, and the running backs had one of their worst blitz-pickup efforts in recent memory.

Both Goff and head coach Dan Campbell admitted that miscommunication at the line of scrimmage was a major issue. Goff called the errors unacceptable, while also crediting the Vikings for forcing Detroit out of sync and demanding perfection.

“Self-inflicted. Absolutely. Very frustrating,” Campbell said. “We knew exactly what was coming. We expected a few new looks, but nothing we hadn’t already seen. And we flat-out didn’t execute. We didn’t match it. A few times we just got beat one-on-one — and that shouldn’t happen. We hold ourselves to a higher level.”

“Some of this stuff wasn’t even complicated — it only looked like it was. We just didn’t respond. We weren’t aligned mentally. We weren’t connected up front… We didn’t communicate the way we should have. Not even close. Everyone has to see it the same way. That’s the reality. We’re better than what we showed.”

And while Campbell avoided using it as a defense, the offensive line was battered throughout the afternoon. The backs didn’t help either, with Jahmyr Gibbs allowing six pressures on his own, per TruMedia.

Right tackle Penei Sewell exited briefly before returning. Left tackle Taylor Decker played through a knee issue. Rookie guard Tate Ratledge left to get his shoulder checked before coming back, and just as he reentered, guard Christian Mahogany went down and was eventually carted off.

Decker said he’s been focused on rehabbing his shoulder all week, so the knee isn’t bothering him too much yet. But the team’s veteran lineman expects clarity on Monday once Detroit sorts out who is actually healthy enough to play moving forward.

“But I’ll probably wake up at 3 a.m. and know for sure,” Decker joked afterward. “We’ll find out tomorrow. Honestly, I don’t even know yet. I barely talked to the trainers. I went in there for a minute, then showered. I’ll check back in.”

When pressed on how the group can regroup with multiple question marks up front — and Mahogany expected to miss several weeks — Decker said the answer isn’t complicated. The offensive line is the backbone of the team’s rebuild, and the standard doesn’t change based on who is available.

Running for only 65 yards on 20 carries, while allowing the sixth-highest pressure rate since Campbell arrived, is nowhere near the offensive line’s expectations.

“We don’t have a choice,” Decker said. “That’s the job. Doesn’t matter who’s healthy. Doesn’t matter who’s hurt. Doesn’t matter who’s out there. I haven’t been at 100% all season, and that’s just the reality of this league.”

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