Vikings fall to Lions in thriller for first defeat of the season

The Vikings are perfect no longer, falling to second place in the NFC North.

Oct 20, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) catches a pass for a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings during the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Vikings are perfect no more.

With 15 seconds on the clock, Jake Bates delivered the game-winning field goal for the Detroit Lions, who lost an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter but managed to escape with a 31-29 victory at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday that sends them to 5-1 and puts them atop the NFC.

The Vikings fell behind in a brutal second quarter, rallied to take the lead late on an Ivan Pace Jr. fumble return touchdown, and had a chance to put the game away with a one-point lead after their defense got another stop. But they went three-and-out and then allowed the Lions to drive into field-goal range to retake the lead. The Vikings missing the two-point conversion after Pace's touchdown looms large in the final scoreline.

Minnesota is now 5-1 and in second place in the NFC North. The Vikings battled, but a stretch where the Lions scored touchdowns on four consecutive possessions turned out to be too much to overcome. After a few clutch stops from their defense in the fourth quarter, they couldn't get one more on the series that led to Bates' field goal and decided the game.

This was billed as the game of the week and it delivered. The Vikings had a 10-0 lead, then trailed by multiple scores, then went ahead on Pace's touchdown, but ultimately couldn't get it done in a thrilling game in Minneapolis.

Justin Jefferson and Aaron Jones scored touchdowns for the Vikings' offense. Sam Darnold was mostly solid outside of an interception in the first half that led to one of the Lions' scores, but he couldn't connect with Jefferson on a key third down late in the game.

The afternoon started out wonderfully for the Vikings, which has been a theme of their season. A defensive stop on the first possession turned into great field position when Dan Campbell bizarrely dialed up a fake punt and the Vikings easily snuffed it out. Two plays later, Jones took a handoff and darted for a 34-yard touchdown. After another stop, a Will Reichard 57-yard field goal made it a 10-0 lead for Minnesota less than 10 minutes into the game.

But the Lions weren't about to roll over. They bounced back and dominated the entire second quarter, punching the Vikings harder than they'd been punched all year. Detroit scored three touchdowns in the quarter, all of them capping long, chunk-filled drives where the Vikings offered very little resistance. On the other side of the ball, Minnesota punted twice and turned it over on a rough Darnold interception.

At halftime, the Vikings trailed 21-10 and were staring down major adversity for the first time this season. They came out and responded well on offense, with Darnold hitting Jefferson for a 25-yard touchdown to cap an 80-yard drive, but the defense continued to struggle. The Lions marched 70 yards for their fourth consecutive TD drive to extend their lead back to multiple scores midway through the third quarter.

That's when things got really good. The Vikings kicked a couple field goals to get within five. Pace's touchdown sent the crowd into a frenzy. But the three-and-out on the Vikings' last full offensive possession meant they needed one final stop that the defense was unable to get.

Minnesota will look to bounce back on a short week when it travels to face the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football.