Lions’ Stafford sacked 10 times

The Detroit Lions were at a disadvantage, playing in a deafening stadium against a daunting Minnesota defence that’s rounding into form at midseason.

The departure of their leading pass-catcher in a trade earlier in the week left the Lions with one less way to attack the Vikings, but the absence of Golden Tate became an afterthought while the team struggled to protect its quarterback. Matthew

Stafford was culpable, too, often hanging onto the ball too long.

Danielle Hunter had 3 1/2 of Minnesota’s franchise-record 10 sacks plus a fourth-quarter fumble return for a touchdown , making for a miserable afternoon for Stafford and the Lions in a 24-9 victory by the Vikings on Sunday.

“That’s a very, very, very, very talented front,” left guard Frank Ragnow said. “Dudes on every single position. So credit to them, but it’s all on us. I think we all know we need to play better than that.”

Hunter also was credited with nine tackles and four hits on Stafford as the Vikings (5-3-1) limited the Lions to a season-low 214 total yards and stopped their streak of 14-plus points at 25 straight games. The last time the Lions scored in single digits was a 17-6 loss to the New York Giants on Dec. 18, 2016.

The Lions assembled only two drivesthat netted more than 30 yards.Tate was certainly missed — the Lions went just 4 for 15 on third down — but the Vikings dominated this game on the line of scrimmage.

“You’re going to play some teams that are going to have some really elite rushers and who are really elite players,” left tackle Taylor Decker said. “We know in our division, we’re going to get that every week. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but we have to play better.”

The previous high sack total of Stafford’s 10-year career was seven, against the Vikings in 2015.