Recap: How the Lions edged the Vikings 31-29 in matchup of NFC’s two best teams

This is the live report of the Vikings’ home game Sunday against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium:

The Lions handed the Vikings their first loss of the season 31-29 Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Detroit built a 21-10 halftime lead behind strong performances by quarterback Jared Goff, running back Jahmyr Gibbs and receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, but the Vikings rallied to go ahead 29-28 on an Ivan Pace Jr. fumble return for a touchdown with just under six minutes left. The Vikings defense could not make one final stop, though, and Goff drove the Lions to the game-winning field goal in the final seconds.

Read Ben Goessling’s takeaways from the Vikings’ loss.

Here’s how it happened:

In the end, the Lions’ red-hot offense was too much for the Vikings defense.

Facing a 1-point deficit with 2:32 left in regulation, the Lions turned to running back Jahmyr Gibbs for three straight touches for 34 yards. Lions quarterback Jared Goff’s 14-yard strike to receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who had eight catches for 112 yards and a touchdown, moved the Lions into field goal range.

The Vikings trail 31-29 with 15 seconds left after Lions kicker Jake Bates’ 43-yard field goal. ― ANDREW KRAMMER

What a time for the Vikings’ first takeaway of the game.

The Lions, trying to run the clock out with a 5-point lead and six minutes left, handed it off to reliable running back David Montgomery. Then Vikings safety Josh Metellus delivered a punch that jarred the ball loose. Linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. recovered and ran 36 yards for the Vikings’ second defensive touchdown in two straight games. The Vikings went for two and didn’t convert, but the takeaway gives the Vikings a 29-28 lead with 5:50 left in the game. ― ANDREW KRAMMER

Kicker Will Reichard is inching the Vikings toward the Lions, drilling another field goal – his 29th straight perfect kick to begin his NFL career – from 48 yards away. Reichard has now made field goals from 42, 48, and 57 yards against the Lions. The Vikings trail 28-23 with 6:04 left in regulation.

One play put the Vikings in scoring position. Quarterback Sam Darnold uncorked an impressive deep bomb to receiver Jordan Addison for a 51-yard gain – the longest of the game. Darnold had enough arm on the pass despite not being able to step up and into the throw while pressure came up the middle. Kevin O’Connell later pulled a trick out of his bag, calling a trick play that put receiver Justin Jefferson in position to throw. But Jefferson couldn’t find a target and ran for a short gain. ― ANDREW KRAMMER

Make it 28 straight perfect kicks to begin Will Reichard’s NFL career with the Vikings.

Reichard nailed a 42-yard field goal at the start of the fourth quarter, bringing the Vikings to within one score of the Lions. Pass protection issues appeared to undercut that drive by quarterback Sam Darnold, who twice moved the chains with a 33-yard toss to receiver Jalen Nailor and a 17-yard throw to running back Aaron Jones. But Darnold was sacked by Lions edge rusher Josh Paschal on second down. On third and long, Darnold had to flee the rush – and was nearly taken out by his own guard, Ed Ingram – before settling for a field goal.

The Vikings trail 28-20 with 14:24 left in regulation. ― ANDREW KRAMMER

Lions quarterback Jared Goff responded to the Vikings’ third-quarter touchdown.

Goff threw for two first downs and a 21-yard touchdown to Lions receiver Kalif Raymond, who easily walked into the end zone after Vikings cornerback Stephon Gilmore tripped and fell while in coverage. Goff also delivered a first-down strike to Raymond on a third-and-9 play to begin the drive, followed by a 22-yard pass over the middle to Lions receiver Tim Patrick.

Goff is nearly perfect – 18 of 19 for 227 yards and two touchdowns – with his only incompletion coming when Vikings defensive tackle Jonathan Bullard deflected a pass at the line during that scoring drive. ― ANDREW KRAMMER

What’s a better halftime adjustment than throwing it to Justin Jefferson?

Kevin O’Connell got the memo, and the Vikings delivered a counterpunch to the red-hot Lions to open the third quarter. Quarterback Sam Darnold found Jefferson for three straight grabs to open the drive. He capped the drive with a 25-yard toss to a leaping Jefferson, who skyed over Lions cornerback Amik Robertson. The Vikings trail 21-17 in the third quarter.

The only interruption on the Vikings scoring drive was a lengthy review of a Jalen Nailor catch and fumble, which Lions defensive back Brian Branch returned for a touchdown. But the play was overturned by officials who deemed that Nailor stepped out of bounds during the first-down catch before fumbling. ― ANDREW KRAMMER

The Vikings end the first half in a spot they haven’t been in all season.

They’re down 21-10 to the Lions at halftime, after Detroit gained 202 yards and scored 21 points in the second quarter alone. The Lions have motioned players to the edge of their formation to help with the Vikings’ blitzes, and they’ve given Jared Goff time to throw after a couple early sacks.

Justin Jefferson, who has three of his five best career yardage games against the Lions, has just three catches for 33 yards. He was targeted only once in the second quarter. The Vikings might need to get him the ball early and often in the second half to come back in this one. They’ll certainly have to be more effective on offense, given how much trouble the Lions are giving their defense. — BEN GOESSLING

For the first time this year, the Vikings are trailing at home.

They’ve allowed two straight Lions touchdown drives, and both ended with big plays. Detroit followed its 45-yard Jahmyr Gibbs touchdown with a 35-yard scoring pass from Jared Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who worked upfield on a seam route as the Lions picked up a six-man blitz from the Vikings to give Goff time to throw.

Detroit is up 14-10 with just under nine minutes before halftime. The Vikings will get the second-half kickoff, but they could use an answer to a Lions offense that’s settled down and is starting to hit on big plays. — BEN GOESSLING

With David Montgomery currently on the sideline because of a knee injury, the Lions have turned completely to Jahmyr Gibbs, the second-year back the Vikings liked before the 2023 draft. Gibbs showed one of the reasons why he was a first-round pick on a run that pulled the Lions within 10-7.

He surged through a big hole on the right side of the Lions’ line, before slipping by Camryn Bynum with a juke move and going 45 yards for a touchdown. The hole opened up when the Lions pushed Harrison Phillips out of the play and Josh Metellus tried to work around the outside of Amon-Ra St. Brown, opening space on the inside for Gibbs. — BEN GOESSLING

The Vikings lead 10-0 after a quarter where their defense has caused numerous problems for the Lions’ accomplished offensive line. Detroit has been called for holding three times (the Vikings have declined two), and the Vikings have sacked Jared Goff twice after only taking him down twice in two meetings last season.

Minnesota’s offense has been sloppy on its past 10 or so plays; Ed Ingram was called for holding after Alim McNeill drove him into the backfield before a hit on Sam Darnold, and Garrett Bradbury was flagged for a false start on a third-and-12 that effectively ended the drive. Offensive coordinator Wes Phillips talked this week about how the Vikings’ linemen are still getting used to Sam Darnold’s cadence, which the Vikings want the quarterback to vary so they can keep defenses off guard. But the penalty backed the Vikings up further, and the Vikings are also out of timeouts after Kevin O’Connell had to burn his last one to avoid a delay of game.

The Vikings are outscoring opponents 58-3 in the first quarter this season. — BEN GOESSLING

The Vikings approached midfield on an impressive catch from Justin Jefferson in traffic for 18 yards, and picked up another 5 yards on the first defensive holding penalty of the day from a Lions secondary that’s been flagged more than any other in the league. When the drive stalled, Kevin O’Connell sent out his rookie kicker who still hasn’t missed.

Will Reichard put his 57-yard attempt nearly into the first row of the stands, giving the people sitting behind the crossbar a chance to catch it on the fly. The field goal put the Vikings up 10-0. — BEN GOESSLING

Aaron Jones spent his bye week in Eagan, rehabbing his right hamstring with everything from acupuncture to laser treatment and time in a hyperbaric chamber. The Vikings decided late in the week he was healthy enough to play against the Lions because of all the work he did. On the Vikings’ first drive, they went to Jones right away, and it paid off.

The running back raced 33 yards for a touchdown, untouched off the left side of the line, to put the Vikings up 7-0 after they snuffed out a fake punt to start the drive with a short field. Special teams coordinator Matt Daniels talked this week about being ready for the Lions’ frequent punt fakes; Brian Asamoah stopped Jalen Reeves-Maybin on the handoff after the Lions decided to go for it on fourth-and-7.

The Vikings had put Detroit in dire straits with an Andrew Van Ginkel sack that followed a Lions holding penalty, and the Lions picked up 19 yards on third-and-26, but coach Dan Campbell decided on the fake punt even though the Lions would need it to pick up 7 yards. It turned into an early momentum boost for the Vikings, as Jones jumped into the U.S. Bank Stadium stands (a Bank Vault, instead of a Lambeau Leap), after gaining another lead for a team that’s rarely trailed this season. — BEN GOESSLING

Would a win over the defending NFC North champions silence the Vikings’ remaining doubters? Michael Rand wondered that this week.

La Velle E. Neal III wrote that the two-games-in-five-days stretch is a chance for the Vikings to mark themselves as a legit NFC force.

The Vikings are back at U.S. Bank Stadium for the first time since Sept. 22, and they’re once again facing a team that made a playoff run in 2023. This time, they’re doing so with big stakes in the NFC North. There are two teams in the NFC with fewer than two losses through six weeks: the 5-0 Vikings and the 4-1 Lions, who sit a game behind Minnesota in the division. In addition to fighting for the lead in what currently looks like the NFL’s toughest division, the Vikings and Lions are battling for the No. 1 spot in the NFC. The Vikings have lost four of their past five to the Lions. — BEN GOESSLING

The Vikings will have three players available — running back Aaron Jones, defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, and edge rusher Patrick Jones II — who were listed questionable for Sunday’s game against the Lions.

It’s unclear whether Jones, who has 517 yards from scrimmage in five games, will keep the same workhorse role while returning from a hamstring injury suffered during pregame warmups of the Oct. 6 win against the Jets. Jones had two limited practices this week after sitting out the only padded session on Wednesday.

Jones has amassed more than 60% of the backfield touches through five games despite missing three quarters of the Jets game. One sign that he’ll be just fine vs. the Lions: the Vikings deactivated running back Myles Gaskin, whom the team promoted last week after Jones’ injury.

The Vikings will roll with Ty Chandler and Cam Akers, who was reacquired via trade this week, behind Jones.

The availabilities of two injured defenders, Phillips and Patrick Jones II, are welcomed for a Vikings defense that will be without its leading tackler, Blake Cashman, due to turf toe. Linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill is expected to step into a bigger role, but safety Josh Metellus and edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel are among others capable of aligning at inside linebacker. Linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. is expected to wear Cashman’s in-helmet speaker (or the “green dot” helmet) and relay defensive play calls.

Cornerback Akayleb Evans (hip) did not practice this week and was ruled out on Friday. Receiver Trent Sherfield replaced Evans as a gunner in punt coverage during the Jets game, and will presumably stay in that role against the Lions.

Detroit will be without two starters in the trenches: Kevin Zeitler, the right guard, and leading pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson, who was placed on injured reserve earlier this week due to a broken leg suffered last week against the Cowboys.

Lions starting cornerback Carlton Davis III (quad) is active and will play after being listed questionable. ― ANDREW KRAMMER

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