Lions take lead in NFC North after beating Vikings, 31-29, on late Bates FG

MINNEAPOLIS — The Detroit Lions rose from the dead in Sunday's pivotal division matchup against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

Detroit rallied back from an early 10-point deficit with 21 unanswered points in the second quarter before coming out on top on a 44-yard field goal from rookie kicker Jake Bates to cap a hectic back-and-forth sequence during the fourth quarter and hand the Minnesota Vikings their first loss of the season, 31-29, while taking first place in the NFC North at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

Detroit nearly gave the game away when Lions running back David Montgomery had the ball punched out by former Michigan star Josh Metellus — Montgomery's first fumble of the season — and Ivan Pace Jr. returned it 36 yards to the house to give the Vikings a 29-28 lead with 5:50 remaining.

After the two teams exchanged three-and-outs, the Lions got the ball back at their own 30-yard line with 2:32 left in a one-point game. Detroit got a couple of big plays from running back Jahmyr Gibbs and receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown to move to the Vikings' 21-yard line with 1:07 remaining and eventually capitalized on the opportunity with a field goal from Bates.

The Lions (5-1) didn't pick up a first down on their first three possessions and then scored touchdowns on four consecutive drives to silence a raucous crowd.

Lions quarterback Jared Goff was a perfect 12 for 12 in the first half — marking his third such feat in four games — before going on to finish 22 for 25 for 280 yards and two touchdowns. Gibbs had 116 yards rushing and 44 receiving with two touchdowns while St. Brown added 112 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Entering Sunday, the Vikings had only run five offensive plays while trailing all season, en route to a 5-0 start.

The Vikings defense got off to a dream start, drawing two penalties on reserve offensive guard Kayode Awosika — starting in place for Kevin Zeitler — and sacking Goff on second down to reach third-and-17. The Lions ran a fake punt on fourth-and-7 that was doomed from the start, giving the Vikings the ball at Detroit's 34-yard line.

Two plays later, Vikings running back Aaron Jones took a handoff, cut left and went untouched on his way to a 34-yard touchdown that gave the Vikings a 7-0 lead at 11:43 in the first quarter.

The Lions burned a timeout before the first play of their second drive and were then called for another holding penalty (this one to Taylor Decker) on their next third-down attempt, leading to a pair of three-and-outs to open the game.

After completing an 18-yard pass to Justin Jefferson and drawing a defensive holding penalty, the Vikings set up for a 57-yard field goal from Will Reichard that gave Minnesota a 10-0 lead with 5:34 left in the first quarter.

The Lions' next offensive drive was arguably the biggest disaster yet. Not only did they come up short on third-and-inches on a run from David Montgomery, but Montgomery appeared to be badly injured on the play before a false-start penalty on Detroit foiled a fourth-down attempt before it began.

The Lions didn't gain a first down until their fourth drive, when St. Brown caught an 8-yard pass on the final play of the first quarter. But they came out with a vengeance in the second quarter and quickly jumped back in the game with a 45-yard touchdown run by Jahmyr Gibbs, the longest run of his career, to make it 10-7 at 13:42 in the second quarter.

After the Lions' defense forced a quick three-and-out, the offense got the ball back with a chance at the lead early in the second quarter. St. Brown totaled three catches for 64 yards on the drive, including a 35-yard score to give the Lions their first lead of the day, 14-10, with 8:39 to go in the second quarter.

Lions safety Brian Branch, who had two interceptions in the team's Week 6 win over the Dallas Cowboys, intercepted his fourth pass of the season at 5:39 in the second quarter to stop the Vikings in Detroit territory.

The interception was a timely one, too: Detroit nearly held the ball for the remainder of the second half and was able to take a two-score lead with 23 seconds left when Gibbs scored his second touchdown of the day on an 8-yard run right down Main Street.

Minnesota answered on the opening drive of the second half with a 25-yard touchdown to Justin Jefferson, making it 21-17 at 10:42 in the third quarter.

Once again, the Lions had an answer. They overcame a second-and-15 near midfield with a 22-yard completion to Tim Patrick before eventually finding Kalif Raymond for a 21-yard receiving touchdown, his first of the season, to go up 28-17 with 5:43 left in the third quarter.

The absence of Aidan Hutchinson was evident from the game’s first play. But the Lions’ pass rush chose a perfect moment for their pass rush to get home for the first time, as Josh Paschal sacked Darnold to get to a third-and-16 that would allow Detroit to hold Minnesota to a field goal at 14:24 in the first quarter, resulting in a 28-20 Lions advantage.

The Vikings added another field goal and finally made hay with their turnover-happy defense as Metellus punched the ball away from Montgomery, allowing Pace Jr. to scoop it and score from 36 yards out for a 29-28 Vikings lead after an unsuccessful two-point conversion.

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