(MINNEAPOLIS) - Minnesota's long-dominant defense had been slipping for the past several weeks, a proud and seasoned group that needed to get its edge back. The Vikings gave hardly any ground against the sputtering Detroit Lions. Danielle Hunter had three of Minnesota's five sacks to spearhead a resurgence by the defense, and the Vikings sailed past Detroit 20-7 on Sunday to stick the Lions with their sixth straight loss. David Blough's touchdown pass to Kenny Golladay with 2:09 left spoiled Minnesota's bid for its first shutout in two years. Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins passed for 242 yards and a touchdown in helping the Vikings improve to 9-4 on the season. With Matthew Stafford sidelined by hip and back injuries for the fifth straight game, the rookie quarterback's first NFL road start was a rough one. Blough went 24 for 40 for 205 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in the second half, and the Vikings allowed their lowest score in 31 regular-season games since a 16-0 win at Green Bay on Dec. 23, 2017. The Lions entered the week averaging 5.8 yards per play, the fourth-best in the NFL, but the Vikings held them to 3.2. The Lions fell to 9-19-1 under head coach Matt Patricia, including 2-5 against NFC North foes, putting the entire front office and coaching staff under scrutiny.