Friday 24 November 2017 01:49, UK
Minnesota held off a Detroit comeback to grab a 30-23 road win that improves their position at the top of the NFC North having stomped on the Lions early and imposing their will throughout.
Case Keenum put on a Thanksgiving masterclass in the first half as he threw two touchdowns passes to Kyle Rudolph and ran for one of his own. He finished with 21 completions on 30 attempts, 282 yards and the three TDs, proving once again the team is more than just a dominant defense.
They got things started early, taking the ball on a 14-play, 80-yard drive which resulted in a Kyle Rudolph one-yard TD flip from Keenum. It did not take long for the team to add another TD, as Ameer Abdullah gifted the ball right back with a fumble, and Keenum capitalised by running in for a score. A perfect pass to Rudolph from 22 yards out had the Vikings up 20-3.
But Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford refused to give up, leading the Lions on a 75-yard drive in just 27 seconds before half-time to keep the hosts within touching distance and trailing 20-10.
However, on the very first play of the second half, Latavius Murray struck with a 46-yard carry into Detroit territory and then found the end zone on a two-yard powerful dive to restore the Vikings' 17-point advantage.
From there, it was all Detroit. Matt Prater kicked a pair of field goals before Marvin Jones made one of plays of the season. He rose above two defenders to secure an outstanding grab and flew down the sideline for a 43-yard score - made even more impressive by the fact the Vikings had 12 men on the field.
A 37-yard catch and run by Stefon Diggs all but killed off the game, putting Minnesota in field goal range to go 30-20 up, but Stafford had just under four minutes to orchestrate another of his typical comebacks (he leads the NFL with 29 fourth quarter or overtime comebacks since 2011).
However, he missed a wide-open Golden Tate streaking down the middle of the field on a third down, then Minnesota’s shutdown corner Xavier Rhodes came up with an interception on the next play to finish the game.
The Vikings move to 9-2 with their seventh straight win, while the Lions fall to 6-5 and will struggle to stay alive in a strong NFC wildcard race.
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