Even as they’ve shuttled through three quarterbacks since Kirk Cousins tore his right Achilles tendon on Oct. 29, the Vikings had remained in control of their playoff destiny for nearly two months.
On Sunday, the day Cousins returned to U.S. Bank Stadium for the first time since his injury, the Vikings lost control of their playoff fate.
They fell 30-24 to the Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium, in a game where Nick Mullens the last of his four interceptions on a pass that might have led to a go-ahead touchdown if he’d been able to put it in front of Justin Jefferson. He threw it behind the receiver, and Ifeatu Melinfonwu picked it off to end the Vikings’ comeback attempt. Their chance to rally had nearly ended earlier in the drive, when Jefferson had to race back to recover a Mullens fumble after he lost the ball on a sack.
Mullens completed 22 of his 36 passes for 411 yards and two touchdowns to go with his four interceptions. Jared Goff, who got his first win against Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, was 30 of 40 for 257 yards, and the Lions gained 126 yards on the ground.
Why it happened: A week after giving up 21 points in the fourth quarter of a loss to the Bengals, the Vikings’ defense ran out of answers against a Lions offense that held the ball for more than 37 minutes, and picked up 26 first downs in the game’s first 3 1/2 quarters. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ success against Goff ended as the Lions quarterback was able to distribute passes to his deep group of skill position players, and rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs slipped Vikings tacklers at several key moments, including a 14-yard touchdown before halftime.
What it means: The Vikings’ only path back to the playoffs is as a wild-card team, and they’ll need help to get there. A year after they won the NFC North title at U.S. Bank Stadium, they watched the Lions celebrate their first division championship in 30 years, and fell a game behind the Seahawks for the NFC’s final playoff spot. The Vikings will need to make up a game on Seattle, who finishes with Pittsburgh and Arizona.
Play of the game: With the Vikings facing a third-and-8 from their own 17 late in the second quarter, Mullens threw deep for Jordan Addison, but the ball was short and too close to the middle of the field. Kerby Joseph picked off the pass, returning it inside the Vikings’ 30, and Addison was lost to an ankle injury on the return when colliding with a teammate along the sideline. Gibbs raced in for his touchdown less than a minute later.
Turning point: With the game tied at seven in the second quarter, officials called Patrick Jones for a 15-yard roughing-the-passer penalty after his helmet made contact with Jared Goff’s helmet when Graham Glasgow pushed him into the quarterback. The call gave the Lions an automatic first down as coach Kevin O’Connell reacted in disbelief, and later in the drive, a review overturned an 82-yard Camryn Bynum fumble return touchdown, ruling Goff’s arm was moving forward when Jordan Hicks knocked the ball out of his hand. The Lions kept the ball at the end of the sequence and kicked a field goal to go up 10-7.
Next up: vs. Packers, Dec. 31, 7:20 p.m.