The Vikings have been in close games all year, but the only reason they finished Week 14 within two scores of their opponent was because they played catch-up for most of the day. Entering Sunday's matchup with the Lions owning a five-game advantage in the win column, Minnesota had no answer for its rival on the defensive side of the ball. Surrendering three touchdown passes to a red-hot Jared Goff, Kevin O'Connell's squad fell 34-23, giving Detroit its fifth win in six games, not to mention added momentum in the NFC playoff race.
Vikings receiver Jalen Reagor guaranteed a win before the NFC North showdown got underway, and his fellow pass catchers, Justin Jefferson (franchise-record 223 yards) and T.J. Hockenson (six catches) did their part to aid a late comeback attempt. Kirk Cousins played a part in that as well, rifling a number of pinpoint throws down the stretch. But the Lions also disrupted Minnesota's offense up front, with Aidan Hutchinson headlining a persistent pass rush that got to Cousins four different times.
The real X-factor was the defensive performances. Whereas Detroit won with its front four, keeping Cousins on his toes and all but rendering Dalvin Cook (15 carries, 23 yards) a nonfactor, the Vikings were an absolute sieve on the back end. The Lions didn't establish much of a ground game on Sunday, but they never needed to, moving the chains and reaching the end zone with great efficiency. D.J. Chark and Jameson Williams both hauled in deep scores, while Amon-Ra St. Brown and Josh Reynolds also stayed busy on key downs as reliable targets for Goff, allowing Detroit to pile up 464 total yards.
Dan Campbell's Lions, who went 7 of 15 on third downs, also got key special teams plays to seal the win, including a 41-yard run on a fake punt and a last-minute field goal from Michael Badgley. Now 6-7, Detroit prevented the Vikings from clinching the NFC North with the win, while keeping itself in the wild card race behind teams like the Commanders, Giants and Seahawks.