The Vikings started today’s game in Detroit with Myles Price’s 61-yard return of the opening kickoff. Late in the game, the Vikings blocked a field goal and returned it 41 yards. In between, the Vikings’ relentless pass rush pressured Lions quarterback Jared Goff all day.
It all added up to a big upset in Detroit, with the Vikings beating the Lions, 27-24.
Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy returned from the ankle injury that has kept him out for most of the season, and he threw two first-quarter touchdown passes, but after that the Lions’ defense kept him in check. McCarthy finnished 14-for-25 for 143 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception. McCarthy’s best play may have been his last, a 16-yard pass on third-and-5 that allowed the Vikings to run out the clock.
Goff completed 25 of 37 passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns, but he was sacked five times. The Lions’ running backs struggled, with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs combining for 65 yards on 20 carries.
Today’s results make the NFC North much more competitive: The Vikings improve to 4-4 with the win and the Lions fall to 5-3 with the loss. Combine it with the Packers losing to fall to 5-2-1, and it may be the most competitive division in football over the second half of the season.
