Detroit, Michigan — The Detroit Lions looked nothing like themselves in the first half against the Minnesota Vikings, a squad that had gone 11 games without a win.
The defense was making stops, quarterback Jared Goff was squeezing precise passes into tiny windows, and the Lions even got a break from the officials, allowing them to jump out to a double-digit lead at halftime.
But the Vikings' failure to finish, the team's worst problem throughout the 2021 season, reared its ugly head once more on Sunday when Kirk Cousins connected with Justin Jefferson on a 3-yard field goal with 1:50 remaining.
Sunday, though, would be different. The Lions drove the length of the field instead of wilting on an emotional Sunday in which both teams honored the city of Oxford following this week's school massacre. With four seconds left, Goff connected with rookie Amon-Ra St. Brown for a 9-yard touchdown, giving the Lions a 29-27 victory and energizing the home crowd.
SCORE IN THE BOX: Lions 29, Vikings 27
The Lions got off to a poor start. Coach Dan Campbell took a daring decision to go for it on fourth down in his own territory after forcing the Vikings to punt on the game's first possession, only to have Goff's sneak stuffed inches short of extending Detroit's first drive.
Taking over at the Lions' 42-yard line, the Vikings took advantage of the opportunity, converting a 41-yard field goal by Greg Joseph to make it a three-point game.
With another field goal, Minnesota increased their early lead to six. Following a 34-yard pass to Jefferson to start the drive, running back Alexander Mattison added 17 yards on three carries. In the red zone, though, Detroit's defense tightened up, limiting the damage to a 31-yard Joseph field goal.
Early in the second quarter, the Lions took the lead with a five-play, 69-yard touchdown drive.
Goff riffled a throw to tight end T.J. Hockenson for a 25-yard gain on the first play of the quarter, which was aided by a 15-yard penalty against the Vikings for hitting Hockenson in the head and neck region while he was defenseless.
Goff threaded another needle to Hockenson for a 9-yard touchdown between the coverage of CB Bashaud Breeland and Harrison Smith two plays later.
Kene Nwangwu returned a kickoff 44 yards for Minnesota, and Mattison's 10-yard run put the Vikings in field-goal range. Outside linebacker Charles Harris broke into the pocket and batted the ball loose from Cousins, tightening the defense once again. Julian Okwara picked up the loose ball, putting a stop to the threat.
Replays suggested the Lions received a break on the fumble, which was an odd twist for a team that has been plagued by referee blunders. Cousins' face mask was caught by defensive tackle Alim McNeill before Harris knocked it loose, but the officials missed it.
The Lions just needed three plays to reclaim the lead and return to the end zone. To start the drive, Goff connected with Josh Reynolds on a short pass. Following that, the receiver broke a tackle for a 28-yard gain.
Following a brief run by Jamaal Williams, Goff faked a backward handoff before connecting with tight end Brock Wright down the seam for a 23-yard touchdown, extending Detroit's lead to 14-6.
The offense went methodically to the middle after Detroit's defense forced another punt, pinning the Lions at their own 10-yard line. Goff hit Reynolds on a crossing pattern off of play action for a 27-yard field goal. Riley Patterson kicked a 31-yard field goal to make it 17-6.
The Lions' 11-point lead was their greatest of the season, but the defense forced a turnover on downs near midfield minutes later to tie it. In the final seconds of the half, Goff connected with Kalif Raymond for a 24-yard pass that set up a 41-yard Patterson field goal, giving the Lions a 20-6 halftime lead.
It was the first time the Lions had scored 20 points in a game since losing 41-33 to San Francisco in the season opener.
Of course, nothing comes easily for this club, and they were unable to take their offensive momentum into the third quarter, going three-and-out on their opening two possessions.
The Vikings were able to cut into the lead as a result of this. The opponent was forced to settle with a 31-yard Joseph field goal on their opening try after tight end On third down from the Detroit 12-yard line, Ty Conklin failed to get his second foot down in the end zone.
Minnesota closed the gap to one point on their following possession. Jefferson came up huge once more, this time sneaking behind Detroit's defense for a 48-yard grab to open the drive, which Mattison capped with an 8-yard touchdown run. With just over six minutes left in the third quarter, the Lions lead 20-15 after a failed two-point conversion try.
A 17-yard pass interference penalty against the Vikings on a sideline shot to Hockenson helped the Lions stop the bleeding, setting up a 44-yard drive that concluded with a 49-yard Patterson field goal. With the kick, the Lions were up eight points heading into the fourth quarter.
The Vikings ate up the Lions via the air with gains of 16, 16, 14, and 21 yards, the last of which converted a third-and-11 situation. With 11:57 remaining on third-and-goal from the 5, Cousins found receiver K.J. Osborn in the back end zone for a diving catch, beating Will Harris' coverage.
The Lions' small advantage was preserved, however, as rookie linebacker Derrick Barnes stopped Mattison short of the goal line, preserving the Lions' 23-21 lead.
The Lions appeared to be on the verge of responding, but on third down, Goff attempted to force a pass into double coverage to Hockenson, which was intercepted by cornerback Cameron Dantzler.
With about six minutes remaining, the Vikings were forced to punt the ball back to the Lions after a holding penalty and a false start stopped the drive.
The Lions chose to try for fourth-and-1 in their own territory, this time at the 28-yard line, in a repeat of their risky move from the first half. The Browns attempted a play-action pass to Williams after taking a timeout, but the Vikings were able to smell it out. Goff was sacked with 4:01 remaining, giving Minnesota the ball at the 19.
This set up a six-play drive that included two third-down conversions and Jefferson's game-winning touchdown.
After a score, Goff led a 14-play, 75-yard drive that ended with St. Brown's game-winning touchdown as time expired.