Lions 31-29 Vikings (Oct. 20, 2024) Game Recap

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jake Bates hit a 44-yard field goal with 15 seconds left and the Detroit Lions beat Minnesota 31-29 on Sunday, handing the Vikings their first loss in a back-and-forth division game is appropriate for the NFL.

Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 116 yards and two of Detroit's three touchdowns in the second quarter. He also helped Jared Goff lead the Lions 48 yards on four plays to get within range of their rookie kicker while forcing the Vikings to burn their timeouts. Bates has a 10-for-10 field goal percentage this season.

Goff went 22 for 25 for 280 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers with a passer rating above 140 in his third straight game, joining Aaron Rodgers (2011), Kurt Warner (1999) and Roger Staubach (1971) as the only quarterbacks in the Play NFL History to accomplish the feat.

Gibbs totaled 150 yards to lead a commanding performance by the Lions (5-1) at the line of scrimmage against a defense that entered the week with a rushing average per play (3.6), second-best in the league achieved.

Ivan Pace Jr. returned David Montgomery's fumble 35 yards for a touchdown with 5:50 left, giving the Vikings (5-1) a one-point lead after they trailed 21-10 at halftime but Sam Darnold's game-winning 2-pointer Conversion pass sailed past Justin Jefferson.

The Vikings approached midfield on their final possession, but were too far away for their perfect rookie Will Reichard to attempt a field goal. Darnold was sacked to end the game and give the Lions their fourth straight victory over the Vikings, their longest streak in the series since 1961-63.

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 touchdown, and Reichard made three field goals, including a 57-yarder.

Darnold went 22 for 27 for 259 yards, but stymied a promising drive in the second quarter when the Vikings had to regain some rhythm by ignoring a wide-open Jones in the flat after a play-action fake and forcing a throw from Jordan Addison that became intercepted by a diving Brian Branch.

The Lions played a second quarter for the ages. They had three scoring drives, all of which traveled at least 69 yards, thanks to clever play-calling from offensive coordinator Ben Johnson that negated Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores' moves as Goff hit blitz after blitz.

Injury report

Lions: RB Montgomery (knee) limped off the field 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. A hold was rejected by the Vikings because they sacked Goff during the game.

Vikings: LB Blake Cashman (toe) was inactive.

Next

Lions: Host the Tennessee Titans next Sunday afternoon.

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

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