The Lions Got Their First Win Of The Season On A Walkoff TD Pass Against The Vikings

The Detroit Lions had been painfully close to getting a win through 11 weeks of the NFL season. After multiple losses on walkoff kicks including an NFL record 66-yarder from Justin Tucker, a tie against Pittsburgh in one of the worst games of the season, and some Dan Campbell gambles on 4th down the just didn’t pan out, it seemed like this Detroit team might never get over the hump.

But on Sunday, they finally kicked that door down with a walkoff win of their own against the Minnesota Vikings in a game that may very well spell the end of the Mike Zimmer era in Minneapolis. The Lions led throughout the game, but rolled the dice with four minutes to play on a 4th and 1 inside their own 25, which ended disastrously for Jared Goff who got strip sacked.

That led to a Vikings touchdown to go up four with 1:50 seconds to play (they missed the two-point), and Detroit would need a touchdown drive in order to notch their first win of the season. Goff led the Lions down the field into the red zone, including their first third down conversion of the game, and, naturally, the game came down to a 4th and 2 from the 11.

The Vikings were playing very soft coverage and their defensive backs bailed too far into the end zone, allowing Amon-Ra St. Brown to hook up two yards into the end zone and catch the game winning touchdown pass from Goff. That win saves the Lions from going winless for the second time in a decade, and rewards a group that has been more competitive than their record indicates for not giving up on a season that has been nothing but pain — a familiar feeling in Detroit. For the Vikings, it is a dreadful loss that pushes them further from the playoff picture and could be the last straw for Mike Zimmer who has become loathed by the Minnesota faithful for late-game execution.