The one bye week call to action the Lions actually responded well to

Throughout the bye week, Detroit Lions coaches and players outlined numerous calls to action entering the second half of the season. The Lions fell woefully short on many of those calls to action in their 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, but there was one unit that responded in a big way to theirs.

In a game with so few bright spots, the Lions' punting unit did the best they could to help the Lions win the field position struggle. Heading into Sunday's game, special teams coordinator Dave Fipp cited net yardage punting, particularly when backed up, as "one area" he's working on improving. In punting, net yards is the total yardage of a punt minus return yards.

On Sunday, the Lions punted the ball five times, which matches punter Jack Fox's season high set three other times on the season. Fox racked up a net yard total of 231, which is a season high. Two of Fox's punts were downed within the Vikings' 20-yard line, and the Vikings only managed seven return yards. On that return, Vikings' returner Myles Price was tackled by the returning Sione Vaki. Those seven return yards were the second-lowest the Lions had given up all season.

Of those punts, two of them were snapped in what would be considered "backed-up situations." One was snapped on the Lions' 21 and the other on the Lions' 16, which were the first and final punts on the day. The first was downed at the Vikings' 36 after a fortunate bounce, while the other was fair caught at the Vikings' 30. These would be the best starting field positions for the Vikings after a punt.

That 48.5 net yard average in those situations, and his 46.2 overall, are well-above his 42.0 average entering the game. That 46.2 overall net yard average matches his average from last season. This amounted to the Vikings' average starting position being a hair above their own 20-yard line.

Of Fox's five punts, the Vikings would only score on one of the following drives -- the first one that was punted from the Lions' 21. The remaining punts resulted in a punt, an interception, the end of the first half, and another punt. Despite the defense giving up a touchdown after the first punt, Fox and the punting unit gave the defense plenty of field position to work with to stall the Vikings' subsequent drives. After the two Vikings' punts and the interception, the Lions' average starting field position was around their own 38-yard line.

The struggling Lions' offense would only score once in response to those stalled Vikings' drives, a second-quarter TD to tie the game at 14-14. Lions would punt and turn the ball over on the other two drives. That turnover, a David Montgomery fumble, immediately put the Vikings in field goal range, where they would score a TD for a 24-14 lead.

Fox's effort prevented a touchdown

Fox's impact on the game extended beyond punting situations. Toward the end of the game, the Lions were lined up to kick a field goal to cut the deficit by three. However, the kick was blocked. Vikings' Isaiah Rodgers recovered the blocked kick and ran it back 41 yards to the Lions' 26-yard line. Who made the TD-saving tackle? Fox, who was the holder on the field goal attempt.

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The Lions' defense held the Vikings to a field goal on the following drive. It would prove to be the game-winning score, but Fox's effort to prevent Rodgers from scoring a TD kept the score within reach. However, the Lions' defense failed to stop the Vikings on a key third down with just under two minutes to go, ending the game.

In a game full of frustrations and disappointments, it can be tough to get excited for a vintage Jack Fox game. As the season continues to evolve and more complications arise, more players on this team need to step up. When they do, they deserve their flowers, even in a loss. It's tough to argue that anyone on the Lions deserves their flowers more on Sunday than Fox.