The Detroit Lions clinched their first division title in 30 years, using two rushing touchdowns from Jahmyr Gibbs and 106 receiving yards and a third-quarter go-ahead score from Amon-Ra St. Brown to overtake the injury-ravaged Minnesota Vikings 30-24 on Sunday in Minneapolis.
Ifeatu Melifonwu picked off Nick Mullens at the 5-yard line with 49 seconds left for the Lions’ fourth interception of the game, an off-target pass to an open Justin Jefferson three plays after his leaping grab in double coverage on third-and-27 kept the last-minute drive alive.
Jared Goff passed for 257 yards without a turnover and David Montgomery had a rushing touchdown for the Lions (11-4) in another prolific performance by one of the NFL’s most potent offenses. The Lions secured a home playoff game for the first time in 22 seasons at Ford Field, where an NFC North champions banner will soon hang. The last one was for winning the NFC Central in 1993.
Mullens threw for two scores, a diving 26-yard catch from Jefferson with 29 seconds left in the first half and a 6-yard toss to K.J. Osborn that gave the Vikings a 21-17 lead early in the third quarter one play after a 47-yard heave to Osborn.
But like the week before in an overtime loss at Cincinnati, turnovers weighed heavily on the outcome. Kerby Joseph’s first of two picks gave the Lions the ball at the Vikings 33 in the second quarter, and they reached the end zone in three plays.
Goff was sharp in a redemptive game for him against Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, whose schemes had given him plenty of trouble in previous matchups with the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins when Goff was with the Los Angeles Rams, including Super Bowl LIII.
Jefferson played at home for the first time since Oct. 8, when he hurt his hamstring and missed seven games, but the Vikings have had their depth tested more than ever. Wide receiver Jordan Addison (ankle, second quarter), tight end T.J. Hockenson (knee, third quarter), cornerback Mekhi Blackmon (shoulder, third quarter) and edge rusher D.J. Wonnum (knee, fourth quarter) left with injuries.
The Vikings wore all-white uniforms as part of their annual winter-themed promotion, which fell on a 54-degree, rainy afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium. That made the yellow flags on the field stand out even more, particularly during a pivotal sequence in the second quarter.
One play after he sacked Goff for an 11-yard loss, Patrick Jones was called for a dubious roughing-the-passer penalty that made the Vikings livid. The crowd howled when Blackmon took a hand to the face mask that wasn’t called.
Then later on that same drive, when Jordan Hicks hit Goff as he tried to let a pass go, the ball tumbled out and Cam Bynum scooped it up for what would have been an 82-yard touchdown return. The call was overturned to an incompletion, and the Lions settled for a field goal.
Jefferson (5,648 in 58 games) passed Michael Thomas (5,512 in 63 games) for the most receiving yards in a player’s first four seasons in history.
St. Brown (2022, 2023) joined Herman Moore (1995, 1996, 1997) as the only players in Lions history with multiple seasons of 100-plus receptions.
The Lions reached 11 wins for the first time in nine years. Their 20 victories since the start of the 2022 seasons are the most in franchise history in a two-year span.
Green Bay Packers 33, Carolina Panthers 30
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 survived a fourth-quarter rally to beat the Carolina Panthers 33-30 on Sunday in Charlotte, N.C., and keep their playoff hopes alive.
Love threw touchdown passes of 21 yards to rookie Dontayvion Wicks and 5 yards to Romeo Dobbs and scored on a quarterback sneak as the Packers snapped a two-game losing streak. Aaron Jones became the first Packers player this season to exceed 100 yards rushing or receiving in a game, rushing for 127 yards on 21 carries.
The Packers (7-8) remain one game behind the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams in the NFC wild-card race.
Bryce Young threw for a career-high 312 yards with two touchdown passes to DJ Chark for the Panthers (2-13), who failed to build on the momentum of last week’s 9-7 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
For a brief stretch in the fourth quarter, it looked like the Panthers might pull off an improbable rally.
They trailed by 14 when Young threw an 11-yard pass to Chark on a slant route to make it 30-22 with 7:14 remaining. Young appeared to scramble for the 2-point conversion, but the Panthers were called for holding and Eddy Pineiro missed his second extra-point attempt of the game.
After a defensive stand, the Panthers got the ball back and Young found Chark again in the right corner of the end zone for a diving 10-yard touchdown. Raheem Blackshear then tied the game at 30, scoring on a pitchout for the 2-point conversion.
But Love came through for the Packers. He completed a 36-yard strike on third-and-4 to Dobbs, who hauled in a catch near the sideline that Fox Sports rules analyst Dean Blandino said on television should have been overturned.
Love, who finished 17 of 28 for 219 yards, followed with a 20-yard completion to rookie tight end Tucker Kraft to reach the Panthers 13, setting up Carlson’s kick.
The Panthers had one last chance. Young completed a 22-yard pass to Chark on the sideline to stop the clock and then threw over the middle to Adam Thielen for 22 yards. But the Panthers, without any timeouts, were unable to spike the ball before time expired.