NFL Week 7 live updates: Patriots-Jaguars from Wembley, Haason Reddick holdout ends, league schedule, predictions, odds
By Colton Pouncy, Alec Lewis and Cale Clinton
An electric battle between the top two teams in the NFC North came down to a Hail Mary attempt, with the Detroit Lions escaping with a 31-29 victory and a new division lead over the Minnesota Vikings. After a late scoop-and-score defensive touchdown gave the Vikings a 29-28 lead, Detroit was able to march down the field and give rookie kicker Jake Bates a game-winning 44-yard field goal opportunity with less than 15 seconds left to play.
CLUTCH @jakebates30!#DETvsMIN | 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/0h4IAxgA5o
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 20, 2024
Jared Goff finished with another precise afternoon from the pocket, completing 22 of 25 passes for 280 yards and a pair of passing touchdowns. Goff finished the first half a perfect 12-for-12 for 156 yards and a touchdown. He is the first starting quarterback since Peyton Manning with multiple halves with double-digit pass attempts and a perfect completion percentage, according to TruMedia. Since 2000, Goff is the only player to have multiple perfect halves of passing in a single season (min. 5 pass attempts).
Jahmyr Gibbs’ explosive ability kept Detroit in the game. His 45-yard touchdown run down the sideline gave Detroit their first score of the afternoon. Gibbs was also crucial on the Lions’ final drive, single-handedly getting the offense across middle fields on three straight touches for a combined 34 yards. Gibbs finished the afternoon with 116 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns on 15 carries, adding in 44 receiving yards on four receptions. His 160 total yards is a new career high.
Minnesota’s defense made some crucial plays — including a 36-yard scoop-and-score by linebacker Ivan Pace to take a 29-28 lead with less than six minutes to go. However, the Vikings allowed 391 total yards on the afternoon and cost themselves two additional turnover opportunities, stripping Goff twice on sacks but failing to recover either fumble. Minnesota’s 391 total yards allowed are their third-most allowed this season, while their lone forced turnover is their fewest in a game this season.
BIG TIME PLAYERS
BIG TIME PLAYS
BIG TIME MOMENTS@noexcuses_23 @ivan_pacejr
📺: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/4F5VH5Wpzv
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 20, 2024
Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold had a mostly positive afternoon marred by a few back-breaking mistakes. His 22-for-27 performance for 259 yards is the highest completion percentage of Darnold’s career (min. 20 attempts), but an ugly interception to Detroit safety Brian Branch led the Lions to score a touchdowns on a third straight drive. Darnold also finished the afternoon with four sacks, his third four-sack game in his last four starts.
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Detroit rallies from 10-0 deficit
It was a disastrous start for the Lions, followed by a dream finish. The Lions overcame an early deficit. Penalties. Sloppy play. A botched fake punt. Poor defense to start the game. About as bad a start as you could have. They found themselves trailing 10-0 against a team you don’t wanna play catch-up against. And yet, it didn’t matter. The Lions regained composure, scoring three unanswered touchdowns to take a 21-10 lead into halftime. Every time the Vikings battled back — most notably after a David Montgomery fumble was returned for a touchdown with a little under six minutes to go — the Lions fought back and showed resiliency.
A masterful drive with less than three to go helped the Lions take a 31-29 lead on a 44-yard Bates field goal. Huge kick for Bates, in a huge moment. This is why they signed him. And with that, the Lions will escape Minnesota with a win, improve to 5-1 and surpass the Vikings for first place in the NFC North. Expect this to be a game Dan Campbell remembers for a long time. It’s another reminder of the group he has in place, and how they can beat anyone on their schedule, even without their best stuff. — Colton Pouncy, Lions beat writer
Goff shines once again
Goff deserves a ton of credit in this one. Although his streak of games with a 150 passer rating ends at two, he’ll have to settle for a three-game streak of 140.0 or better passer ratings (the fourth player to do so). He was excellent against a Vikings defense that makes life difficult for opposing offenses. He completed 22 of his 25 pass attempts for 280 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Every time the Lions needed a throw, he delivered — standing poised in the pocket amid chaos around him. This is the best stretch of football he’s played as a Lion. His composure helped the Lions stay afloat in this one, and ultimately, win this game. — Pouncy
An up-and-down day for Darnold
Sunday prompted maybe the most fascinating game of Darnold’s time in purple and gold. He completed eight of nine passes to begin the outing, then threw arguably his worst pass as a Vikings quarterback. With running back Aaron Jones wide open in the left flat out to the left, Darnold progressed quickly, and scanned to the other side of the field. He attempted a crossing route to Jordan Addison, which was intercepted by Branch, capping what had been a disjointed offensive showing — to put it lightly — in the first half. Darnold responded admirably in the second half, executing the offense correctly and finding players like Jones and superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson across the field. His second-half success began with a dime of a touchdown pass to Jefferson. Darnold only threw one Sunday afternoon but he completed 22 of 27 passes for 259 yards. It’s likely the outing will be remembered most by the final possession. The Vikings received the ball with four minutes and 16 seconds remaining and could not convert a first down to continue to ice the clock. — Alec Lewis, Vikings beat writer
Flores’ defense finally cracks
Before Sunday, Brian Flores’ Vikings defense had mostly avoided any relevant chinks in the armor. The Green Bay Packers produced a flurry a few weeks ago, and New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers compiled a nice second half performance two weeks ago. The Lions, though, made it as tough on this hardened group as any opposing team through six weeks. Goff mostly stood strong against pressure, and Gibbs jumped-cut his way through the Vikings’ defense for most of the evening.
Detroit tallied more big-time, fatal plays than Flores would have preferred. Ultimately, though, the Vikings and Flores adapted in the second half of the game. Edge rushers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel came alive, but the most savvy play occurred when safety/linebacker/cornerback Josh Metellus poked the ball lose, forcing a fumble that was recovered by linebacker Pace and run back for the go-ahead touchdown. Ultimately, though, Gibbs and company proved to be too much in the end, putting together a game-winning drive with 15 seconds remaining. — Lewis
Required reading
- NFL Power Rankings Week 7: How good are Ravens, Lions? Plus more big questions
- Lions’ options at edge rusher as season without Aidan Hutchinson begins
- The story behind the Vikings’ 5-0 start: Between chemistry and scheme, it’s just ‘different’
(Photo: Stephen Maturen / Getty Images)
