The Minnesota Vikings beat the Detroit Lions 23-10 on Thursday and extinguished all their chances of qualifying for the playoffs in Week 17, the penultimate game of the NFL season.
The Vikings, already eliminated, prevented the Lions from maintaining their postseason hopes. Both teams have a record of eight wins and eight losses in third and fourth place in the National Conference North.
Vikings defense makes the difference
The Minnesota Vikings defense had an outstanding performance.
He caught Detroit quarterback Jared Goff five times, intercepting him twice and causing four fumbles.
The first half of the duel was dominated by the defenses.
Minnesota’s two catches of Goff and two turnovers.
Detroit’s Max Brosmer was caught four times, seven times in the entire game.
In the first quarter, the home team took a 7-0 lead thanks to a Goff fumble recovered by Andrew Van Ginkel, which left the Vikings offense at the Lions’ 16-yard line.
They took advantage of this position to take a 7-0 lead with a run by Aaron Jones.
Minnesota strikes at key moments
The Lions pulled even at 7-7 in the second period on a spectacular reception by Isaac TeSlaa with 60 seconds left before halftime.
The Vikings’ siege on the Detroit passer continued into the third period.
Byron Murphy, intercepted Goff, a drive that the offense capitalized on with a 52-yard field goal by Will Reichard that gave them a 10-7 lead.
Minnesota repeated the formula, this time with an interception by Harrison Smith, which was used with another field goal that put them away 13-7.
In the final period Jake Bates tightened the game 13-10 via a 48-yard field goal.
But the Vikings responded with an explosive series in which Jordan Adisson scampered 65 yards to the end zone, which coupled with another field goal sealed the 23-10 victory.
A star-studded halftime show
The halftime show of this Christmas game between Lions and Vikings featured rapper Snoop Dogg.
As well as Italian Andrea Bocelli, country singer Lainey Wilson and singers EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI, voices of HUNTR/X, the fictional K-pop girl group from the animated movie ‘KPop Demon Hunters’.
The game between the Denver Broncos, the number one team in the American Conference, and the Kansas City Chiefs closed Thursday’s activities.
With information from EFE
For more information, visit QuéOnnda.com
