The Minnesota Vikings are no longer undefeated. The Detroit Lions, on the foot of young kicker Jake Bates, served the Vikings their first loss of the 2024 season.
Despite an illegal formation penalty that gave the Vikings one second to run one final play (which ended with QB Sam Darnold being sacked), the Lions won 31-29 and are now in first place in the NFC North.
This was a wild contest from beginning to end. The Vikings jumped out to a lead in the first quarter with 10 unanswered points, but then the Lions remembered they are built to score touchdowns and started doing just that. In the second quarter, Jahmyr Gibbs scored the first of his two touchdowns, then Amon-Ra St. Brown scored a TD on the next possession. Gibbs followed that with his second rushing TD.
Then the Vikings took over, opening the second half with a touchdown. While the Lions were able to score a TD of their own, they weren’t able to match the Vikings’ offensive output in the fourth quarter. Two field goals and a scoop-and-score off the hands of David Montgomery gave the Vikings a one-point lead going into the final minutes.
Down 29-28, the Lions ran the clock down to the 19-second mark. Their win rested on the foot of Bates, a 2023 undrafted free agent who signed with the Lions earlier this year. He’d never been involved in a kick like that during his short NFL career, but he nailed it, giving the Lions a 31-29 win.
While his arm didn’t end the game, Lions QB Jared Goff was absolutely dialed in against the Vikings. He ended the day 22-of-25 with 280 yards and two TD passes.
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