Lions Beat Vikings 19-15 to End Minnesota's Unbeaten Start as Lamar Jackson Leaves on the First Snap

The last unbeaten team in the NFL is no longer unbeaten. The Detroit Lions beat the Minnesota Vikings 19-15 at Ford Field on Sunday, ESPN's recap records, with Jared Goff finding Jameson Williams from seven yards with 4:35 to play and the defence forcing a three-and-out to close it. Minnesota fall to 6-1, their first defeat since 30 November last year in Seattle; Detroit improve to 5-2 and have won three straight, including their first two division games.

It was a game built on the ground. Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 153 yards on 23 carries, including a 30-yard tackle-breaking touchdown in the third quarter that put Detroit ahead, and the Lions finished with 230 rushing yards, 164 of them after halftime. Minnesota managed 81.

How did the Lions beat the Vikings?

Jake Bates kicked field goals from 25 and 37 yards either side of Kyler Murray's one-yard touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson, and the Vikings led 7-6 at the break after D.J. Reed's diving interception had stopped one Minnesota drive and a review had taken an Amon-Ra St. Brown touchdown off the board. Gibbs's run made it 12-7, and Murray answered midway through the fourth with an eight-yard touchdown to T.J. Hockenson and a two-point pass to Jordan Addison for 15-12.

Detroit's reply covered 69 yards in seven plays and ended with Williams's catch. Minnesota then punted on fourth-and-five from their own 33 with all three timeouts in hand, a call Kevin O'Connell defended on the grounds that he trusted his defence. The Lions ran out the clock instead. Goff finished 18 of 25 for 176 yards, one touchdown and his first interception of the season; Murray was 17 of 29 for 210 yards, two touchdowns and a pick.