Self-inflicted problems slow the Vikings’ offense and upset wide receiver Justin Jefferson

It wasn’t a relatively mediocre 81 yards, ranking seventh in the otherwise dominant nine games Jefferson played against the Detroit Lions in his career. He is averaging over 125 yards per game against the Lions, including Sunday’s loss.

It wasn’t Jefferson’s sporadic role Sunday, as half the plays he targeted — four of eight — ended in a single drive to open the second half.

It was a Vikings offense that couldn’t get out of the way: penalties, drops and missed throws.

The Vikings’ offense committed four presnap penalties, including two by receiver Jordan Addison, a false start by center Garrett Bradbury and the late illegal formation as players hurriedly tried to line up for a spike to stop the clock. The Vikings entered Sunday averaging the three worst penalties per week pre-snap in the league.

“We knew going into this game it was going to be a battle, not a walk in the park,” Jefferson said. “But we definitely hurt each other in a lot of ways that you probably can’t imagine. But we missed a lot of opportunities in this field. We just have to get better, especially because of all the flags we had. We just have to be better all around.”

What self-inflicted problems could we not see?

“Getting the two-point conversion late in the game would have helped tremendously,” Jefferson said. “It would have helped to score the third goal towards the end of the game. It just plays like you leave it out on the field. But it’s not one person’s fault. We all need to be involved as a whole team.”