DETROIT — The Minnesota Vikings played with an added chip on their shoulder knowing what a win would mean against the Detroit Lions.
For those that have been on the team a few seasons, it’s been five straight games the Vikings have failed to best the Lions.
Players who were even just with Minnesota last season experienced heartbreak at Ford Field in Week 18 where they lost a winner-take-all game for the NFC North and No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
But the Vikings (4-4) finally got their win back at Ford Field — years in the making — as coach Kevin O’Connell earned his first victory as a head coach on the Lions’ home field.
“Y’all was there last time we were here. That was a heck of a game. We fell short,” Minnesota safety Joshua Metellus said. “This was one of those ones that we needed. Next time we see this team is on Christmas at home. But to get one here in Ford Field, first one in (O’Connell’s) career...that was special. At the end of the day we’re not done, man.”
There will be another meeting between the teams, after the Vikings earned a 27-24 win on Sunday, back in Minneapolis where the Lions will be the ones coming in with that edge to avenge a loss.
Detroit (5-3) nearly played spoiler after trailing for almost the entire matchup.
The Lions scored a late touchdown on a 37-yard pass from Jared Goff to Jameson Williams.
With less than two minutes left, the Lions got Minnesota to third down with the chance to force a punt and give them a chance to tie or win the game.
A gutsy play call to pass it resulted in the game-sealing first down as former Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who was returning from injury, hit ex-Michigan State wide receiver Jalen Nailor for a 16-yard gain.
“You come to this place, it’s a tough place to come win,” O’Connell said. “Just really proud of our guys, proud of them from the beginning of the week until now.
“Always feels like games are close versus this team for the better part of these football games and got a lot of respect for them, a lot of respect for their players and their coaching staff. We know that it’s going to be a 60-minute battle and we were able to make a play there at the end to not give them the ball back one last time.”
Games have typically been pretty close between the teams under coach Dan Campbell and O’Connell, save for last year’s Week 18 game, which the Lions won 31-9.
That defeat seemed to only spur on the Vikings to want to get their win back.
“All we watch is tape on this team because they’ve given teams answers on how to attack us,” Metellus said. "For us to come out here against a team that knows us really well and to get one over on them, I think it was great for the defense. Our mentality was great and we’re going to carry that throughout the rest of the season.”
It certainly played a role in Sunday’s game, one that makes the Lions’ path to a third straight NFC North title considerably more challenging.
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