DETROIT -- Usually, the head coach passes out game balls after an NFL victory. Minnesota quarterback Teddy Bridgewater reversed the process on Sunday after coach Mike Zimmer collected his first division win on the road.

"It meant a lot because we knew how important this game was, a divisional game," Bridgewater said after the Vikings' 28-19 triumph at Ford Field. "We always hear about us not doing well on the road and finishing games on the road. To be able to do so today, it feels pretty good."

Zimmer took over prior to last season but the Vikings hadn't won an NFC North road game since they defeated Detroit in 2012.

"It ranks big only in the fact that everybody said we couldn't win a division game on the road," Zimmer said.

Bridgewater played a large role in Zimmer's breakthrough victory, passing for 316 yards and two touchdowns. Bridgewater was intercepted twice and sacked four times when the Vikings lost at Detroit last season but completed 25-of-35 attempts without an interception on Sunday. Blair Walsh made five field goals after going 0-for-3 in Detroit last season.

"We talked about how we lost up here last year," Zimmer said. "We fixed those situations today."

Adrian Peterson gained 98 yards on 19 carries as the Vikings (4-2) downed their division rival for the second time in five games. Peterson was questionable entering the game after feeling ill on Saturday. Both Peterson and Zimmer refuted a report that Peterson swallowed chewing tobacco juice on a bumpy flight.

"He told me he ate some bad shrimp," said Zimmer, a story that Peterson later confirmed.

Minnesota rookie wide receiver Stefon Diggs caught six passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. The Vikings defense clamped down after allowing two first-quarter touchdowns and sacked Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford seven times.

"That's kind of the reason why we are where we are," Detroit coach Jim Caldwell said. "We just haven't been able to sustain consistent play with one unit or the next. We'll do some things very, very well for an extended period of time. All it takes is about five minutes in this league to turn things around."

Stafford finished with 256 passing yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Calvin Johnson caught five passes for 86 yards and a touchdown. The Lions (1-6), who entered the game with the league's worst rushing attack, gained just 77 yards on 17 carries. Rookie Ameer Abdullah led the Lions with 43 yards on eight carries.

Stafford, who injured his left hand during the second half, was baffled by the offensive's futility after the quick start.

"It's going to be tough to tell you right now," he said. "They did a good job of getting after me a little bit but that's a team thing. It's on everybody."

Diggs' diving 36-yard catch early in the third quarter put Minnesota on top, 22-17. Diggs beat the coverage of cornerback Rashean Mathis with a double move. That drive was extended by a defensive holding call against the Lions.

Walsh's 35-yard field goal midway through the quarter and his 22-yarder during the opening minute of the fourth made it 28-17.

Detroit (1-6) reached the Minnesota 1-yard line in the late going but wound up turning the ball over on downs. The Vikings took a safety with 59 seconds remaining during a punt formation after failing to pick up a first down.

The Lions scored on their first two possessions and led 17-15 at halftime.

Johnson scored on a 1-yard pass to complete Detroit's first possession, which included a 36-yard Johnson reception. Tight end Eric Ebron's 7-yard reception later in the quarter made it 14-3. Ebron caught five passes for a team-high 89 yards.

Tight end Kyle Rudolph scored on a 1-yard pass from Bridgewater for Minnesota's only touchdown in the half. Walsh made three field goals, including two from more than 50 yards, but also missed an extra-point attempt.

NOTES: TE Brandon Pettigrew (knee), CB Josh Wilson (concussion) and LB DeAndre Levy (hip) were among the inactives for Detroit. DT Sharrif Floyd (knee) and DE Justin Trattou (foot) missed the game for Minnesota. ... Minnesota's defense hadn't allowed a first-quarter touchdown prior to Detroit's opening drive. ... The Vikings now leads the all-time series, 71-36-2. ... The Vikings play another division rival, the Bears, in Chicago on Sunday while the Lions head to London to face the Kansas City Chiefs. ... Vikings RB Adrian Peterson's 75-yard run in the third quarter was the fifth time he's had a rush for that many yards. Three of those runs have come against the Lions.