Recap: Lions clinch first-ever 1 seed in statement win over Vikings

The Detroit Lions made a statement for the rest of the NFC with their decisive win over the Minnesota Vikings.

The Detroit Lions are NFC North champions again! On Sunday night, the Lions displayed their dominance in the division—and the conference as a whole—with a decisive win over the Minnesota Vikings. With the win, the Lions are division champions in back-to-back seasons for the first time, and more importantly, they’ve earned the NFC’s top seed and a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Detroit’s defense had a gutsy performance, with multiple goal-line stands, despite the fact that the Lions offense put them in tough situations on a few occasions. The offense, while sputtery at times, came up big in the second half on the shoulders of Jahmyr Gibbs. The Lions running back found the end zone four times on the way to the Lions’ 31-9 victory.

Here’s how the game unfolded.

First quarter

The Vikings won the toss and deferred, putting the Lions offense on the field first. Detroit converted an early third-and-5 thanks to Jahmyr Gibbs breaking a tackle on a reception and turning it upfield for 6 yards.

But that would be the lone first down on the opening drive. The Lions tried to catch the Vikings sleeping on a third-and-8 with a run, but Gibbs lost 7 yards on the play.

Minnesota had less issues moving the ball early. A trio of first downs moved them to midfield. But after a Ford Field-induced false start, the Vikings found themselves in a third-and-9, and Sam Darnold overshot T.J. Hockenson for the incompletion and a subsequent punt.

Detroit’s offense hit on the game’s first big play with a play-action shot to Amon-Ra St. Brown for 23 yards. But on a third-and-2, Kevin Zeitler was called for a holding on what would’ve been a conversion. Detroit failed to convert, but opted to go for it on fourth-and-5 on the Vikings’ 39-yard line—passing on a 57-yard attempt. Under duress, Jared Goff found Jameson Williams for a 13-yard gain down to the 25-yard line.

On the very next play, Gibbs ran it up the middle for a 25-yard touchdown. 7-0 Lions.

The Lions defense got a quick three-and-out thanks to a first down sack from Za’Darius Smith that lost the Vikings 17 yards.

On third down, Darnold overshot Hockenson again, and Minnesota punted on the last play of the first quarter.

Second quarter

Detroit would only go backward on their next possession. A false start, tackle for loss, and sack on third down moved the Lions into an ugly fourth-and-31. On second down, Andrew Van Ginkel laid a huge hit on Gibbs.

The Vikings took over at midfield in a field-position swapping possession. A pass to Josh Oliver moved the Vikings into field goal range. On the subsequent third-and-10, the Lions sent an all-out blitz and Darnold found Justin Jefferson for a 31-yard gain.

Then it was the Vikings’ time to go for it on fourth down—this one from the Lions’ 3-yard line. But Darnold couldn’t find anyone, and his pass fell incomplete to keep the score 7-0 Lions.

After nearly suffering a safety, Goff converted a third-and-5 with a 6-yard pass to LaPorta to give Detroit some breathing room. Craig Reynolds then converted a third-and-1 up the gut of the defense. But then Goff tried to dump it off to Reynolds, only for it to get tipped at the line and intercepted.

Detroit would get another goal line stand, however, and this time, the Vikings opted to take the points on fourth-and-goal from the 6. 7-3 Lions.

The Lions worked their way into a fourth-and-inches play at the Vikings’ 42-yard line. Detroit went for it, but Goff’s play-action pass was deflected at the line and the Lions turned it over on downs with 3:37 left in the half.

Minnesota picked up a key third down with a pass to Jalen Nailor for 18 yards after Brian Branch had slipped, but Detroit would eventually get another stop in the red zone. Josh Paschal hit Darnold while he was throwing on third down to force the incompletion and another chip shot from Will Reichard. 7-6 Lions.

With 20 seconds left and only one timeout remaining, the Lions were likely ready to pack it in, but the Vikings kickoff went out of bounds, giving them the ball at the 40-yard line. Goff immediately hit St. Brown for a 19-yard gain. Another 11 yards were gained via Kalif Raymond, setting up a 48-yard field goal for Jake Bates to make it 10-6 Lions.

Third quarter

The Vikings nearly went three-and-out, but an illegal contact on Brian Branch away from the play extended Minnesota’s drive despite a third-and-9 incompletion. Two plays later, Cam Akers found a huge hole up the middle for a 58-yard gain.

But the Lions’ red-zone defense stood tall again, and on a fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line, Darnold’s pass fell incomplete thanks to tight coverage from Terrion Arnold.

But on the very first play, the Lions tried a deep shot, and there was a clear miscommunication between Goff and Jameson Williams, as the Lions receiver stopped running, giving Harrison Smith an easy interception.

The Lions would have to deal with a couple more defensive injuries the rest of the way. Cornerback Terrion Arnold suffered a foot injury and was carted off. While defensive tackle Pat O’Connor had a calf injury. Both players were initially listed as questionable, but O’Connor was eventually ruled out.

Meanwhile, the Vikings failed to convert a third-and-6, thanks to tight coverage from Amik Robertson. Reichard was good from 51 to make it 10-9 Lions.

Detroit’s offense countered with decent drive of their own. They were able to dig out of a second-and-20 thanks to a 17-yard pass to Sam LaPorta followed by 12 more from St. Brown.

But once in the red zone, the Lions stalled. Their third-and-4 rush to Gibbs came up a yard short, and the Lions, once again, went for it. Goff found Gibbs for a 10-yard touchdown catch. 17-9 Lions.

The Vikings would try to answer quickly. Darnold found Nailor for 27 yards after a Lions defender fell down. Then, on third-and-4 from Detroit’s 34-yard line, Darnold couldn’t connect with Hockenson. Minnesota opted to kick the field goal, and Reichard missed it from 52 yards.

Detroit would take over from the 42-yard line and hit Gibbs for a 14-yard gain on the final play of the third quarter.

Fourth quarter

Detroit continued to move with an 11-yard pass to LaPorta. Then, on third-and-1, Goff found Williams for 12 yards. The Lions went back to Gibbs for a 13-yard touchdown and a 24-9 lead with 13:06 left.

The Vikings nearly went three-and-out, but they were bailed out by a defensive holding on Alex Anzalone. On the next series, Darnold was sacked on third-and-10 by Al-Quadin Muhammad, forcing a punt.

With 10:13 left, the Lions offense had an opportunity to make it a three-score game. On the first play of the drive, Gibbs took it up the middle for a huge 47-yard gain.

Two plays later, he gained another 10 down to the Vikings’ 14-yard line. Detroit then faced a fourth-and-2. The Lions lined up to go for it, but were just trying to get the Vikings offsides… and it worked! Then Gibbs plowed in for his fourth touchdown of the game and a 31-9 Lions lead with 5:14 left.

Minnesota would eventually turn it over on downs after four straight incompletions for Darnold, and the Lions would essentially run out the rest of the clock, while also getting Jameson Williams across 1,000 yards for the season.

The Lions will get a much needed week off after having the NFL’s earliest bye week possible (Week 5), and await to see who they will play in the divisional round. They’ll face off against the lowest-seeded team remaining.