Since Kevin O'Connell's arrival ahead of the 2022 season, the Minnesota Vikings have taken pride in their ability to win games when they don't cause untimely or self-inflicted errors. So much so that Minnesota had built an impressive 22-0 record under the head coach when the Vikings finished the game with either a neutral or positive turnover margin.

Minnesota was able to break even in that department again (1 to 1) on Sunday against Detroit, but too many penalties and missed opportunities on offense proved costly, as the Vikings (5-1) fell to the Lions (5-1) 31-29 in their first loss of the 2024 campaign.

The Vikings went toe-to-toe with the Lions, as the two teams posted nearly identical stats. Detroit held a slim advantage in total yards (391 to 383), total plays (56 to 52) and first downs (19 to 16), but the two sides were even on third downs (4 of 10), sacks (four) and penalties (eight).

Infractions on the offensive side of the ball have been a key issue for Minnesota this season. Through six games, the Vikings have committed 29 penalties on offense, including seven on Sunday, the fourth-most in the NFL. It's also 14 more than Minnesota's total through the first six games in 2022 and 10 more through the team's first six games a season ago.

The Vikings offensive calling card, though, has been its quick starts. That didn't change Sunday.

Minnesota brought the energy early by stopping a fake punt attempt on the Lions 33-yard line before Aaron Jones, Sr., scored on a 34-yard scamper on Minnesota's second offensive play from scrimmage. Minnesota then forced another Lions punt before a 57-yard field goal by Will Reichard pushed the lead to 10-0.

Through six games, Minnesota has scored 58 points in the first quarter, the second-most in the NFL behind Tampa Bay (63 points). The Vikings have also allowed the fewest points (three) in the quarter, with the Chargers (seven) being the only other team to allow single digits.

The Lions flipped the script, however, outscoring Minnesota 21-0 in the second quarter. Detroit ranks first in the NFL in second-quarter scoring (81 points) and has allowed just 20 points in the quarter this season, the lowest mark in the league.

Minnesota kept fighting and rallied from an 11-point deficit twice, with the latter comeback attempt resulting in the Vikings taking a 29-28 lead with 5:50 remaining after Ivan Pace, Jr.'s 36-yard scoop-and-score.

The Vikings then went for 2 to extend their lead to a field-goal margin but were unable to convert. Minnesota's defense forced a three-and-out on the ensuing Lions possession but couldn't extend its offensive drive more than six yards, and Detroit ran out the clock before Jake Bates' 44-yard field goal sealed the Lions victory.

The loss not only dropped Minnesota to second in the NFC North standings, but it also caused the Vikings to fall slightly in this week's Power Rankings. Here's a look at where the Vikings rank going into Week 8:

No. 4 (down 3 spots): Eric Edholm, NFL.com

It has to be a little concerning to the Vikings that the Lions moved the ball with ease through the middle part of the game, especially against a defense that had been borderline elite this season, but in no way, shape or form should Sunday's 31-29 loss be discrediting of Minnesota. Kevin O'Connell's team lost its first game in the final seconds to a highly motivated, highly talented division rival. This group never had realistic designs on 17-0; things are not much different today than they were Sunday morning. Aaron Jones, Sr., gutted through injury to give this team an offensive boost. The Vikings dealt some blows and took a few more, but they never wavered. Sam Darnold rebounded from his worst outing this season before the Week 6 bye to have arguably his best on Sunday, even with an interception. Three of the next four are on the road, but all four are eminently winnable, so I expect this team to continue stacking successes, even after the first setback.

No. 3 (down 1 spot): NFL Staff, Bleacher Report

The Minnesota Vikings rolled into Week 7 as the NFC's lone undefeated team largely because they had avoided making mistakes and had been opportunistic on defense.

The latter carried over into their big matchup with the Detroit Lions, as an Ivan Pace, Jr., fumble return for a touchdown gave the team a late lead. But the two-point conversion attempt that would have given Minnesota a three-point cushion was unsuccessful. Sam Darnold forced an ill-advised pass to wideout Jordan Addison that was intercepted. Minnesota was also 4-of-10 on third down and committed eight penalties.

None of those mistakes in and of themselves cost the Vikings the game. But they added up to a two-point loss, and Head Coach Kevin O' Connell told reporters that the team needs to clean things up to get back on the winning track.

"It's these little self-inflicted [wounds], whether it's a formation or hold or pre-snap infraction. I've got to get that stuff fixed," O'Connell said. "When you're trying to win at the level we're trying to win against anybody we play, we can't do anything to help give football teams an out. We just need to worry about all 11 guys executing the play pre- and post-snap with great detail in all three phases, and I am just going to keep pushing this team every single day to try to do that."

"Despite Sunday's loss to the Lions, the Vikings didn't look out of place among the NFC's best," Bleacher Report NFL analyst Brent Sobleski said. "Yes, Minnesota has its first loss on its record. That's OK. No one expected the Vikings to go undefeated. In fact, most didn't expect them to start the season 5-1, particularly with Sam Darnold leading the way.

"But Darnold and the team didn't look out of place against the Lions. Instead, Minnesota played well enough at points to have won the game," Sobleski added. "The Vikings came up just short, yet they showed that they very much belong among this year's top contenders."

No. 4 (down 2 spots): Pete Prisco, CBS Sports

The Lions gave [the Vikings] their first loss of the season in large part because the defense wasn't as good. They have a short turnaround to play Thursday to get things fixed.

No. 4 (down 1 spot): Nate Davis, USA Today

[The Vikings are] also still unblemished on the road – and that's where they're going to live in the near term, four of their next five away from U.S. Bank Stadium, but only one of those trips (Chicago) to visit a club .500 or better.

No. 3 (down 2 spots): Josh Kendall, The Athletic

How many good wins are we giving the Vikings credit for with the 49ers looking iffy? Honestly, Sunday's loss to the Lions may have been Minnesota's second-best showing. If Jake Bates misses a 44-yard field goal with 15 seconds left, the Vikings are still undefeated. Minnesota remains fourth in the league in point differential (61 points).

No. 5 (down 2 spots): Conor Orr, Sports Illustrated

This should not be any disrespect to the Vikings who, like the Texas Longhorns on Saturday, lost to a great team also at [its] best and had to take a tiny little slide down the rankings because of it. I did not come out of Sunday any less impressed with Sam Darnold, Brian Flores or Kevin O'Connell. Really, Minnesota's loss came down to who was holding the ball last and, as a show of respect to Minnesota, Dan Campbell went way out of his way to ensure that didn't happen. The Lions took a tremendous risk throwing the ball into double coverage to set up a game-winning field goal. If any of that goes haywire, we're talking about the Vikings being the best team in football on Tuesday morning.

No. 3 (down 1 spot): Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News

The Vikings fought hard to come back vs. Detroit with their passing game and defense, but they saw their pass rush not come through late, leading to the first loss and giving up the division lead.

No. 4 (down 2 spots): Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports

You shouldn't downgrade the Vikings much. They're a very good team who got beat in the final minute by a slightly better team. The trick will be not turning one loss into more, with a tricky Thursday night matchup at the Rams up next.