Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings: Fourth Quarter Open Thread

Holding a 7-3 lead over the Detroit Lions, the Minnesota Vikings got the ball to start the second half after deferring the first half coin toss. Jerick McKinnon took a knee in the end zone to start the Vikings at their own 25, and the Vikings immediately got a pass interference penalty against Detroit’s Nevin Lawson attempting to cover Adam Thielen to get the ball to near midfield. However, the Vikings tried to get a little too cute by lining up in the Wildcat, and the exchange between McKinnon and Dalvin Cook was botched, resulting in a fumble that the Lions recovered at the Minnesota 48.

The Lions gained a couple of first downs following the turnover, but the Vikings’ defense forced the visitors to settle for another field goal attempt by Matt Prater. Prater connected from 37 yards out to cut the Minnesota lead to 7-6.

After another Vikings turnover, this one a fumble by Cook (on which it appears he may have suffered a significant injury), the Lions cashed in again, the Lions got themselves into the end zone for the first time today, cashing in with a 3-yard touchdown run by Ameer Abdullah. Detroit went for 2, and Matthew Stafford connected with T.J. Jones to give the Lions a 14-7 lead.

McKinnon got a nice kickoff return to give the Vikings the ball at their own 39 to start their next possession. However, the Vikings could only manage a three-and-out, with Ryan Quigley coming in to punt again. He did a nice job, and a penalty on the Lions gave them the ball all the way back at their own 6-yard line.

Minnesota finally got a stop on their next possession, as Matthew Stafford had a big fumble that bounced all the way back to the Detroit 11-yard line after a couple of first downs. Marcus Sherels fielded the punt from Jeff Locke at the Vikings’ 40-yard line, giving the team good field position for their next drive.

The Vikings finally got a first down, courtesy of a 32-yard pass from Case Keenum to Stefon Diggs to move the purple into Detroit territory. The offense stalled, and the Vikings brought on Kai Forbath to attempt a 39-yard field goal. Forbath proceeded to miss his first field goal as a Viking, hitting the right upright to keep the score at 14-7. As we move to the fourth quarter, the Lions are looking at 2nd-and-10 from their own 29-yard line.

The Vikings trail the Lions in this NFC North battle, 14-7, going into the fourth quarter of play. Can the Vikings pull off a comeback in this one?