Perhaps that’s what made Sunday’s 31-29 loss to the Lions refreshing.

Certainly, there were multiple reasons why the Vikings not only fell from the ranks of the undefeated, but more often than not looked like the second-best team on the field.

But they were almost exclusively related to tangible things happening on the field.

After jumping out to a 10-0 lead, the Vikings surrendered touchdowns on four consecutive Detroit possessions midway through the game. Brian Flores’ plan doesn’t confuse the Lions.

The offense did very little to turn the momentum the other way during that time, leading to criticism of the interior of the offensive line, Kevin O’Connell’s play calling, and QB Sam Darnold’s ability to make those calls feed.

When a stunning scoop-and-score with six minutes left restored a one-point lead, the Vikings made three crucial mistakes: a two-point conversion attempt wasn’t even close; a chance to close the game with a pair of first downs went wrong when a third-down pass from Darnold sailed over both an oddly positioned Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson. And then the defense couldn’t make the one crucial stop of the previous weeks, allowing the Lions to make the winning field goal.