The Detroit Lions defeated the Minnesota Vikings 30:24 and secured their eleventh win of the season. No division game is easy on the road – especially when the opponent is fighting for postseason survival. Ultimately, the Lions proved to be the better team on the day, and it took a strong offense and an opportunistic defense to get the job done.
Let's hand out some grades for the Lions' decisive division win in Week 16.
Quarterback: A-
Jared Goff was simply a steady, calming force against the Vikings. Minnesota's defense creates chaos for the opposing quarterback, but Goff never once looked unsettled. He simply took what the Vikings defense gave him, converted some key plays and helped keep Detroit's offense on schedule throughout the day.
There was nothing flashy about his Week 16 performance — he didn't even attempt to throw a 20-yard pass in the air — but that was all the Lions needed. A sure, consistent presence that didn't turn the ball over was more than enough to score 30 points against a Vikings defense that hadn't allowed that much since Week 2.
Running Backs: B+
Without Jahmyr Gibbs' fumble and a dropped pass or two, this running back unit would have gotten a solid A from me. Gibbs continues to be fantastic with the ball in his hands and on Sunday he had two of his most impressive runs of the season: one for a fourth-down conversion and one for a touchdown.
This child is extremely fun to watch. And don't look now, but Gibbs is currently 12th in the NFL in rushing yards (872) and eighth in touchdowns (9). He also moved up to third place in the Offensive Rookie of the Year odds.
Wide Receiver: A-
It seems like almost everyone in this group had a big performance on Sunday. Amon-Ra St. Brown had several en route to his eighth 100-yard game of the season. Jameson Williams caught five of his six targets for 43 yards – including another YAC play where he had no right to get a first down. Donovan Peoples-Jones had a game-winning catch on third-and-8 in the fourth quarter. And both Josh Reynolds and Kalif Raymond had plays of more than 15 yards.
Tight Ends: C+
A surprisingly quiet day for rookie tight end Sam LaPorta, who caught all three of his targets for just 18 yards and only one of them was a first down.
However, go back to Gibbs' touchdown run and look at the work LaPorta does on DJ Wonnum.
Offensive line: A+
The Vikings defense generated just 14 pressures per PFF – the fourth fewest pressures they had in a game all season. And according to PFF, only five of those were credited to the Lions' starting offense (two for Graham Glasgow and one each for Penei Sewell, Frank Ragnow and Taylor Decker).
The Lions were even more impressive when running the ball. Against a rush defense that had allowed more than 120 yards just twice all season, Detroit scored 143 – including three rushing touchdowns that day (the Vikings had only allowed eight all season).
Defensive line: B-
As usual, the Lions' run defense was extremely strong. Detroit allowed just 17 yards on 11 carries (1.5 YPC) with a long of 6 yards.
However, the Lions generated almost no pressure with four-man rushes. Again, it was pretty much just Aidan Hutchinson making Nick Mullens uncomfortable on the defensive line. He was credited with six pressures on the day, while no other defensive lineman had more than one.
Additionally, while Romeo Okwara deserves a lot of credit for forcing a fumble on the final drive of the game, John Cominsky deserves just as much credit for not falling on the ball to end the game. The Vikings almost took advantage of this opportunity and won the game.
Linebacker: B-
There isn't much positive or negative from the linebacking crew. At times they were a little too vulnerable to action, but they deserve a lot of credit for clogging up the Vikings' running game. Perhaps this team's best play of the day came from Malcolm Rodriguez, who made a strong tackle in the open field to force a three-pointer just after Detroit had regained the lead in the second half.
Secondary level: C+
How do you rate a unit that was responsible for both giving up big play after big play and producing the biggest defensive plays of the game?
The Lions allowed 11(!!!) passes of more than 20 yards against the Vikings, and much of the blame fell on the secondary, which either lost its one-on-one duels or failed to pass the ball.
But considering the secondary was also responsible for all four interceptions, Ifeatu Melifonwu played a big role in Detroit's pass-rushing scheme (three pressures, two sacks) and Brian Branch had a very solid game overall.
I think the result is a neutral game overall for the secondary, but since the game was won by Iffy's interception, I give them a plus.
Special Teams: C
The Lions had an extra point blocked in this game, and it almost became critical when the Vikings were only down by six points, not seven, at the end of the game.
There's not much else to say about the units other than punter Jack Fox had a couple big punts late. First, he pinned the Vikings at their own 7-yard line, forcing Minnesota to drive 93 yards for the game. And when an illegal formation negated that punt, he basically did it again — although a 5-yard return put Minnesota at the 12. Forcing Nick Mullens to drive that far — despite some ridiculous late-game heroics from Jefferson — successfully proved too much for the backup quarterback.
Coaching: B-
Let's start with a few things I didn't like. I didn't like Dan Campbell using a timeout at the end of the first half after the Lions sacked Nick Mullens to force a third-and-19. Minnesota was at midfield with only 49 seconds remaining. Even in the best case scenario, you get the ball back from your own 20 yard line within about 30 seconds without calling a timeout. That's a low chance of scoring when you're already ahead 17:7. Instead, you gave the Vikings a little more time, and while you expect your defense to get a stop on third-and-19, you can never be sure when the opponent has a weapon like Justin Jefferson.
Additionally, the Lions played a bit conservative at the end of the game, giving the Vikings a chance to get back into the game even though they had a nine-point lead with the ball and only ten minutes left.
Finally, there was the whole game delay thing. You can blame it on crowd noise or Frank Ragnow not shooting the ball, but in my opinion it starts with the coaching staff making the decision in a timely manner. Too many times the Lions broke that snap with less than 10 seconds on the game clock. That's unacceptable on the street against a defense that requires pre-snap diagnosis.
Still, Campbell deserves praise again for his aggressiveness in the fourth round. With a 21-17 deficit in the third quarter, many NFL coaches would have opted to kick a field goal on fourth-and-1 from the Vikings' 34-yard line – or four plays later on fourth-and-1 from the Vikings' 7-yard line. Campbell wanted six and he got it, giving Detroit the lead they would never lose again.
Additionally, you have to admire the Lions' overall preparation. On offense, they were obviously prepared for the hidden looks from the Vikings defense. And defensively, Detroit absolutely forced Mullens into several mistakes with an aggressive game plan. In short, Lions coaches prepare players for success.
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