Adrian Peterson had the first laugh
— a 78-yard TD run on his first carry — but Reggie Bush and the Lions had the last one in Detroit’s 34-24 victory.
DETROIT — Running back Reggie Bush thinks he’s going to love playing with Calvin Johnson. With all that space in the middle of the field, it’s easy to see why.
Bush had a sensational debut with the Detroit Lions on Sunday, burning Minnesota for 191 yards of offense in a 34-24 victory. With the Vikings focused on stopping Johnson on the outside, Bush found plenty of room to roam.
“This is exactly what we talked about when I was thinking about coming here,” said Bush, who signed a $16 million, four-year contract in March. “We wanted to get me into space with a mismatch against a linebacker or a safety, and that’s what happened. You can do that because of Calvin.”
Bush turned a short pass into a 77-yard touchdown in the third quarter. He finished with 21 carries for 90 yards and four receptions for 101 more.
Bush’s performance helped the Lions overcome a slew of miscues while stopping an eight-game losing streak.
“We had plays on offense, defense and special teams that can get you beat in this league, but we got through it and won the game,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “It’s important to be able to get wins on days when you are making mistakes and things aren’t going your way.”
The Vikings also made their share of mistakes, especially quarterback Christian Ponder, who threw three interceptions and lost a fumble.
“It wasn’t just Christian,” Minnesota coach Leslie Frazier said. “We’ve got to play better as a team.”
Adrian Peterson did his part early, running for a 78-yard touchdown on his first carry and scoring on a 4-yard run to give Minnesota a 14-6 lead in the second quarter. He finished with 93 yards on 18 attempts.
Fans at Ford Field have already become vocal supporters of Bush, chanting “Reg-gie! Reg-gie!” The Lions made adding the former Miami and New Orleans back a priority and he showed why in one flashy, but tough afternoon.
“I did dislocate my thumb,” he said. “It was pointing in the wrong direction, but they were able to pop it back in and tape it up.”