An expected offensive explosion was a defensive battle in the first half as the Lions lead the Vikings 10-6 at halftime.
The teams are playing for the NFC North title and the No. 1 seed in the conference.
The Vikings have only 113 yards but have had three red zone possessions. They are 0-for-3 with two field goals from Will Reichard.
The Lions have 159 yards, with 88 coming on their touchdown drive. Jahmyr Gibbs has the only touchdown with a 25-yard run. They went 1-for-2 on fourth down.
The Vikings had seven snaps inside the Lions 10-yard line on two different possessions. They scored three points as Cam Akers had a 2-yard run and Sam Darnold went 0-for-6.
Minnesota scored after Joshua Metellus tipped a Jared Goff screen pass intended for Craig Reynolds, and Ivan Pace intercepted it. Goff and Reynolds saved the touchdown, tackling Pace at the Detroit 7. The Vikings converted with Reichard’s 25-yard field goal with 6:35 left in the half on a four-play, 0-yard drive.
The Lions turned it over on downs with an incompletion — Jonathan Bullard tipped Goff’s pass — on fourth-and-1 at the Vikings 42. The Vikings used that for a three-play, 30-yard drive that ended at the Detroit 13 with a 31-yard Reichard field goal.
The first half would have ended with the Lions up 7-6 but for Reichard kicking the ball out of bounds on the kickoff. The Lions took over at the 40 with 20 seconds left and Goff completed passes of 19 and 11 yards to set up Jake Bates’ 48-yard field goal on the final play of the half.
The Lions have seven hits on Darnold, and Amik Robertson has done a superb job on Justin Jefferson. Darnold is 9-of-20 for 93 yards, and Jefferson has two catches for 37 yards. Jordan Addison has one catch for no yards.
Aaron Jones has seven carries for 32 yards.
Goff is 13-of-17 for 115 yards with the pick, and Gibbs has 12 carries for 42 yards and a touchdown. Amon-Ra St. Brown has three catches for 53 yards.
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