NFL

Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings

· National Football League
5-1, 3-0 Away
Final
31 - 29
5-1, 3-1 Home

Lions top previously unbeaten Vikings 31-29 on late FG to cap NFC North thriller

Jake Bates kicked a 44-yard field goal with 15 seconds left in the Lions ' 31-29 victory on Sunday, handing the Vikings their first loss in a back-and-forth game befitting of the NFL's strongest division.

“We talked about patience, keeping your composure, communication and an attitude, and our guys did that,” coach Dan Campbell said. “We didn’t bat an eye when things appeared to start going a little south.”

Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 116 yards and two of Detroit's three second-quarter touchdowns. He also helped Jared Goff guide the Lions 48 yards in four plays to get in range for their rookie kicker while forcing the Vikings to burn their timeouts.

Bates, who was plucked from the United Football League after incumbent Michael Badgley got hurt at the beginning of training camp, is 10 for 10 on field goals this season.

Goff went 22 for 25 for 280 yards with touchdown passes to Amon-Ra St. Brown and Kalif Raymond and no turnovers in his third straight game with a 140-plus passer rating, joining Aaron Rodgers (2011), Kurt Warner (1999) and Roger Staubach (1971) as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to accomplish the feat.

“He doesn’t get frazzled. He’s tough. He’s competitive, and he’s reliable,” Campbell said.

Gibbs had 150 total yards to spearhead a commanding performance by the Lions (5-1) at the line of scrimmage against the defense that entered the week with a rushing average per play (3.6) allowed that was the second-best in the league.

“He’s been so close to exploding,” Campbell said, “and we felt like this was the game.”

Ivan Pace Jr. returned David Montgomery’s fumble 36 yards for a touchdown with 5:50 remaining to give the Vikings (5-1) a one-point lead after they trailed 21-10 at halftime, but Sam Darnold's crucial 2-point conversion pass sailed past Justin Jefferson.

The Vikings reached midfield on their last-gasp possession, but an illegal formation penalty on left tackle Christian Darrisaw after the hustle to get set pushed them out of range for their own perfect rookie Will Reichard to attempt a field goal. Darnold was sacked to end the game and give the Lions their fourth consecutive victory over the Vikings for their longest streak in the series since 1961-63.

The defending division champion Lions are tied with the Vikings, with the Green Bay Packers (5-2) a half-game back and the idle Chicago Bears (4-2) one game behind. The quartet that has produced exactly one Super Bowl champion in the previous 27 seasons had the highest combined winning percentage for one division in NFL history entering Week 7 or later.

Aaron Jones rushed for 93 yards and a touchdown for Minnesota despite being listed as questionable with a hamstring injury. Jefferson had 81 yards receiving and a score, and Reichard made three field goals, including a 57-yarder.

Darnold went 22 for 27 for 259 yards, but he spoiled a promising drive in the second quarter by ignoring a wide-open Jones in the flat off a play-action fake and forcing a throw to Jordan Addison that was intercepted by a diving Brian Branch.

“Obviously can’t let that happen,” Darnold said. “But Branch made a really good play on it.”

The Lions played a second quarter for the ages. They had three scoring drives that all covered at least 69 yards on the strength of some shrewd play-calling by offensive coordinator Ben Johnson that rendered the chess moves by Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores moot, as Goff beat blitz after blitz.

“They want to apply the pressure. For us, we go down 10-nothing and we’re kind of getting kicked in the mouth a little bit,” Goff said. “Stay calm, stay relaxed.”

Darnold's misses Two misfires by Darnold to Jefferson wound up costing dearly.

The 2-point conversion throw was too wide after Jefferson ran a short route across the goal line. Then on third-and-4 after the Vikings had forced a punt following Pace’s score — their third defensive touchdown of the season — Darnold threw too high for Jefferson near the sideline.

"Got to give them kudos, but we definitely hurt ourselves in plenty of ways," Jefferson said.

Injury report Lions: Montgomery (knee) limped off in the first quarter but returned before halftime. ... RG Kevin Zeitler (groin) was inactive, and his backup Kayode Awosika was flagged twice for holding and once for a false start in the first quarter. One holding call was declined because the Vikings sacked Goff on the play.

Vikings: LB Blake Cashman (toe) was inactive.

Up next Lions: Host the Tennessee Titans next Sunday afternoon.

Vikings: Play at the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night.

This version corrects length of Ivan Pace Jr.'s fumble return to 36 yards instead of 35.

How can I watch Lions vs. Vikings?

  • TV Channel: Lions at Vikings 2021-22 NFL, week 7 is broadcasted nationally on FOX and NFL Sunday Ticket.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
    In Canada, viewers can watch Lions vs. Vikings on DAZN.

Matchup Prediction

Vikings: 43.6%
Lions: 56.1%
*According to ESPN's Football Power Index

Scoring Summary

MIN TD 1st Period 11:43 Aaron Jones 34 Yd Run (Will Reichard Kick)
MIN FG 1st Period 5:34 Will Reichard 57 Yd Field Goal
DET TD 2nd Period 13:42 Jahmyr Gibbs 45 Yd Run (Jake Bates Kick)
DET TD 2nd Period 8:39 Amon-Ra St. Brown 35 Yd pass from Jared Goff (Jake Bates Kick)
DET TD 2nd Period 0:26 Jahmyr Gibbs 8 Yd Run (Jake Bates Kick)
MIN TD 3rd Period 10:42 Justin Jefferson 25 Yd pass from Sam Darnold (Will Reichard Kick)
DET TD 3rd Period 5:43 Kalif Raymond 21 Yd pass from Jared Goff (Jake Bates Kick)
MIN FG 4th Period 14:24 Will Reichard 42 Yd Field Goal
MIN FG 4th Period 6:04 Will Reichard 48 Yd Field Goal
MIN TD 4th Period 5:50 Ivan Pace Jr. 36 Yd Fumble Return (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed)
DET FG 4th Period 0:15 Jake Bates 44 Yd Field Goal

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nfl/500/det.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originDET https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nfl/500/min.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originMIN
19 1st Downs 16
15 Passing 1st downs 10
3 Rushing 1st downs 4
1 1st downs from penalties 2
4-10 3rd down efficiency 4-10
0-1 4th down efficiency 0-0
56 Total Plays 52
391 Total Yards 383
7.0 Yards per Play 7.4
11 Total Drives 11
247 Passing 244
22/25 Comp/Att 22/27
8.5 Yards per pass 7.9
0 Interceptions thrown 1
4-33 Sacks-Yards Lost 4-15
144 Rushing 139
27 Rushing Attempts 21
5.3 Yards per rush 6.6
1-1 Red Zone (Made-Att) 0-0
8-49 Penalties 8-59
1 Turnovers 1
1 Fumbles lost 0
0 Interceptions thrown 1
0 Defensive / Special Teams TDs 1
29:03 Possession 30:57

Game Information

U.S. Bank Stadium

Location: Minneapolis, MN
Attendance: 66,971 · Capacity:

2024 NFC North Standings

TEAM W L PCT T PF PA
Detroit 13 2 .867 0 493 299
Minnesota 13 2 .867 0 396 276
Green Bay 11 4 .733 0 413 287
Chicago 4 11 .267 0 283 342
Full Standings

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