It was a must-win type of game for the Lions and they did it with a gritty, tough performance in the 17-3 win over the Vikings on Sunday in Minneapolis.

PHOTOS OF THE LIONS WIN SUNDAY

Detroit boosted its record to 4-2, 2-0 in the NFC North.

Here are five of the standouts:

1. Defensive end Ziggy Ansah was dominant with five tackles, 2.5 sacks, three quarterback hits and a forced fumble. This was Ansah’s best game of the season and quite possibly his career.

2.  Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh’s pair of sacks made him the Lions’ leader in career sacks by a defensive tackle with a total of 30.5. Shaun Rogers held that top spot with 29 sacks — until Suh introduced himself to Teddy Bridgewater twice. Suh also had two quarterback hits and two tackles. His success doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet but it did on Sunday.

3. Defensive end George Johnson earned a game ball with 1.5 sacks, two quarterback hits and five tackles. It was special for Johnson — and his teammates knew this — because he had been cut last season by the Vikings.

4. Linebacker Tahir Whitehead continues his fast maturation taking the place of Stephen Tulloch. Whitehead had his first two career interceptions against Bridgewater, along with a half-dozen tackles. 

5. Running back Joique Bell returned after missing a game with a concussion. He came up just short of 100 combined yards with 74 rushing yards including a touchdown and 23 receiving yards. Theo Riddick gets half a mention for his early play (5 catches for 75 yards and a touchdown along with three carries for six yards), but he couldn’t finish the game due to a hamstring pull.

(Follow @PaulaPasche on Twitter. Order her book,  “100 Things Lions Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die’’ here. It’s also available at bookstores.)