The Detroit Lions closed their regular season out with a comfortable win over division rivals Minnesota.
While most teams in their positions would’ve rested players the Lions attached the very feint possibility of capturing the second seed through the playoffs and played their starters throughout the game. It made the game comfortable, and a little scary.
The Lions galloped out to a 13-0 lead scored touchdowns on two of their first three possessions, and the Vikings were never closer than 7 points for the rest of the game.
Lions magical season heads into playoffs
But Lions rookie tight end Sam Laporta left the game with a potentially season-ending knee injury when he was taken low when his leg was planted. Several people questioned whether the risk was worth such a small potential reward.
“You’re either all in or all out,” head coach Dan Campbell said.
For the Vikings it was the end of a challenging season that saw them start four different quarterbacks with little cohesive plan as to what to do from game to game. “I appreciate the way these guys battled all the way to the end, despite all the adversity and all the injuries,” Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said.
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Downs | 24 | 19 |
| Passing 1st downs | 15 | 13 |
| Rushing 1st downs | 6 | 5 |
| 1st downs from penalties | 3 | 1 |
| 3rd down efficiency | 2-13 | 1-9 |
| 4th down efficiency | 2-3 | 2-2 |
| Total Plays | 70 | 56 |
| Total Yards | 448 | 381 |
| Total Drives | 11 | 11 |
| Yards per Play | 6.4 | 6.8 |
| Passing | 359 | 311 |
| Comp-Att | 30-44 | 23-32 |
| Yards per pass | 7.5 | 9.4 |
| Interceptions thrown | 2 | 0 |
| Sacks-Yards Lost | 4-37 | 1-9 |
| Rushing | 89 | 70 |
| Rushing Attempts | 22 | 23 |
| Yards per rush | 4.0 | 3.0 |
| Red Zone (Made-Att) | 0-1 | 3-4 |
| Penalties | 8-77 | 4-20 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 0 |
| Interceptions thrown | 2 | 0 |
| Defensive / Special Teams TDs | 0 | 0 |
| Possession | 34:59 | 25:01 |
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