Free Press sports writer Dave Birkett highlights the best and worst performances of the Detroit Lions’ 31-9 win over the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field.
Winners
Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs
Gibbs played three games as the Lions’ lead back sans David Montgomery this season and ran for 109, 117 and 139 yards. In Sunday’s winner-take-all game, he exploded for 170 yards from scrimmage (139 rushing, 31 receiving) and scored all four of the Lions’ touchdowns.
He averaged 5.6 yards per carry for the season, third among running backs behind Derrick Henry (5.9 ypc) and Saquon Barkley (5.8 ypc). He set a franchise single-season record for total touchdowns (20). And he came 71 yards away from hitting 2,000 scrimmage yards.
“I don’t know what his numbers were but, yeah, he was impressive,” Lions quarterback Jared Goff said. “We kind of came into this one knowing we were going to need him to be and he played his tail off and our offensive line blocked their tails off. Yeah, he was special today and we needed him to be.”
Lions CB Amik Robertson
The smallest player on the Lions defense came up big Sunday.
Robertson drew the primary assignment on Justin Jefferson and held the Vikings star to three catches (on nine targets) for 54 yards. He had safety help at times, and got beat for a 31-yard pass on one of the plays he didn’t. But his feisty play frustrated Jefferson and was a big reason the Vikings failed to score a touchdown for the second time this year.
The Lions’ slot cornerback to start the season, Robertson has transitioned seamlessly to outside cornerback in Carlton Davis III’s absence and brings an attitude and swagger to the Lions’ secondary.
Lions DC Aaron Glenn
There’s a good chance the Lions will be looking for a new defensive coordinator next year after Glenn put on a masterclass in coaching Sunday.
The Lions’ fourth-year defensive play caller hammered Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold with relentless pressure and challenged his back seven to out-physical Minnesota’s tight ends and receivers. The plan worked to perfection as Darnold completed just 18 of 41 passes and the Vikings failed to score a touchdown in four red-zone appearances.
Glenn is expected to begin interviewing for NFL head coaching vacancies this week; the Chicago Bears and New York Jets reportedly have requested permission to speak with him. There aren’t a lot of jobs open yet this hiring cycle, but Glenn is one of the best candidates out there.
Losers
Vikings K Will Reichard
A rookie from Alabama, Reichard made a 31-yard field goal with 20 seconds left before halftime to cut the Lions’ lead to 7-6, then made a huge gaffe on the ensuing kickoff when he shanked it out of bounds.
The Lions started their next drive at the 40-yard line, Jared Goff completed passes to Amon-Ra St. Brown and Kalif Raymond, and Jake Bates made a 48-yard field goal as time expired.
Maybe the Lions would have scored without the benefit of the penalty; I thought Minnesota took a timeout too early before its failed third-down play that set up Reichard’s kick. But Reichard was at least complicit in turning momentum back the Lions’ way, and he compounded matters by missing a 51-yard field goal wide right late in the fourth quarter that gave the Lions more good position to set up another touchdown.
Vikings QB Sam Darnold
Darnold had a chance to beat the Lions in October, but missed an open Jefferson on a third-down pass with under 3 minutes to play that might have clinched the Vikings victory.
On Sunday, he airmailed T.J. Hockenson on two would-be third-down conversions early in the game, missed Jefferson once in the end zone and didn’t see him streaking across the goal line on another play.
Darnold’s had an excellent season and deserves credit for helping the Vikings win 14 games. But the slipper came off his foot Sunday at the worst possible moment.
Dave Birkett is the author of the new book, “Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline.” Order your copy here. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
