The Detroit Lions won their first division title in 30 years, defeating the injury-ravaged Minnesota Vikings 30-24 on Sunday in Minneapolis, thanks to two rushing touchdowns from Jahmyr Gibbs and 106 receiving yards and a third-quarter go-ahead score from Amon-Ra St. Brown.
With 49 seconds remaining, Ifeatu Melifonwu intercepted Nick Mullens at the 5-yard line, an off-target pass to an open Justin Jefferson three plays after his diving grab in double coverage on third-and-27 kept the last-minute drive alive.
The Lions (11-4) enjoyed another explosive effort by one of the NFL’s most potent offenses, as Jared Goff passed for 257 yards without a turnover and David Montgomery got a rushing touchdown. For the first time in 22 seasons, the Lions clinched a home playoff game at Ford Field, where an NFC North champions banner will soon hang. The most recent was in 1993, when he won the NFC Central.
Mullens threw for two touchdowns, one on a diving 26-yard reception from Jefferson with 29 seconds left in the first half and the other on a 6-yard pass to K.J. Osborn early in the third quarter, one play after a 47-yard heave to Osborn.
However, as in the previous week’s OT loss against Cincinnati, turnovers played a significant role in the outcome. In the second quarter, Kerby Joseph’s first of two picks gave the Lions the ball at the Vikings 33, and they drove to the end zone in three plays.
Goff was sharp against Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, whose strategies had given him plenty of grief in prior confrontations with the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins while he was with the Los Angeles Rams, including Super Bowl LIII.
Jefferson returned to the field for the first time since Oct. 8, when he injured his hamstring and missed seven games, but the Vikings’ depth has been taxed more than ever. Jordan Addison (ankle, second quarter), T.J. Hockenson (knee, third quarter), Mekhi Blackmon (shoulder, third quarter), and D.J. Wonnum (knee, fourth quarter) all exited with injuries.
The Vikings wore all-white uniforms as part of their annual winter-themed campaign, which took place at U.S. Bank Stadium on a 54-degree, rainy afternoon. The yellow flags on the field stood out much more as a result, notably during a crucial passage in the second quarter.
Patrick Jones was called for a questionable roughing-the-passer penalty one play after sacking Goff for an 11-yard loss, which infuriated the Vikings. When Blackmon reached for the uncalled-for face mask, the audience erupted.
Later the same drive, when Jordan Hicks struck Goff as he tried to release a pass, the ball rolled out and Cam Bynum scooped it up for an 82-yard touchdown return. The incompletion call was reversed, and the Lions settled for a field goal.
Jefferson (5,648 yards in 58 games) surpassed Michael Thomas (5,512 yards in 63 games) as the guy with the most receiving yards in his first four seasons in history.
St. Brown (2022, 2023) and Herman Moore (1995, 1996, 1997) are the only Lions players to have multiple seasons with 100-plus receptions.
For the first season in nine years, the Lions won 11 games. Their 20 victories in the first two years of the 2022 season are the most in team history.
Carolina Panthers 30, Green Bay Packers 33
Jordan Love threw for two touchdowns, ran for one, and made two big completions to set up Anders Carlson’s 32-yard field goal with 19 seconds left, and the Green Bay Packers held off a fourth-quarter rally to beat the Carolina Panthers 33-30 on Sunday in Charlotte, N.C.
As the Packers snapped a two-game losing streak, Love threw touchdown passes of 21 yards to rookie Dontayvion Wicks and 5 yards to Romeo Dobbs, as well as scoring on a quarterback sneak. Aaron Jones, who rushed for 127 yards on 21 carries, becoming the first Packers player this season to surpass 100 yards rushing or receiving in a game.
In the NFC wild-card race, the Packers (7-8) are one game behind the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams.
Bryce Young passed for 312 yards and two touchdown passes to DJ Chark for the Panthers (2-13), who failed to capitalize on last week’s 9-7 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
For a brief moment in the fourth quarter, it appeared that the Panthers would pull off an unlikely comeback.
With 7:14 remaining, Young fired an 11-yard slant ball to Chark to cut the deficit to 14 points. Young appeared to be on his way to a 2-point conversion, but the Panthers were flagged for holding, and Eddy Pineiro missed his second extra-point try of the game.
The Panthers got the ball back after a defensive stand, and Young found Chark again in the right corner of the end zone for a diving 10-yard score. Raheem Blackshear then knotted the game at 30 with a 2-point conversion on a pitchout.
But Love delivered for the Packers. On third-and-4, he delivered a 36-yard pass to Dobbs, who hauled in a catch near the sideline that Fox Sports rules expert Dean Blandino argued on TV should have been overturned.
Love, who ended 17 of 28 for 219 yards, then connected with rookie tight end Tucker Kraft for a 20-yard gain to the Panthers 13, setting up Carlson’s field goal.
The Panthers had one more shot. Young stopped the clock with a 22-yard pass to Chark on the sideline, then passed over the middle to Adam Thielen for 22 yards. However, due to a lack of timeouts, the Panthers were unable to spike the ball before time expired.
