NFL Week 18 Game Recap: Detroit Lions 30, Minnesota Vikings 20

2WAYW99 Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown catches a touchdown pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

The Minnesota Vikings went down swinging but were ultimately outclassed in Week 18 by the Detroit Lions, who emerged victorious, 30-20.

Offensive spotlight: Each team showed off their elite receivers. Justin Jefferson caught 12 of the 14 targets thrown his way for 192 yards and a score, while Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown caught seven of 10 targets for 144 yards and a score. Jefferson averaged 4.2 yards per route run, and Brown posted an absurd 5.76 figure.

Defensive spotlight: Aidan Hutchinson was a problem for the Minnesota Vikings all day, aided by how much the Vikings were forced to pass to try and chase the game. Pending grade review, Hutchinson posted a 22.7% pass-rush win rate, and he also stuffed a trick play in the red zone to bring Justin Jefferson down well behind the line of scrimmage and turn a potential touchdown drive into a field goal.

Rookie spotlight: Lions rookies Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta each notched double-digit touchdowns for their debut campaigns, making them the first pair of rookies to do so in NFL history. The Lions will be sweating the health of LaPorta, whose leg got caught in the turf on a routine catch that left him clutching his knee and forced him to exit.


Box Score

Passing
Minnesota Vikings
Player Fantasy Comp/Att Yds YPA TD Int Long Sacks Rtg
Nick Mullens 25.64 30 / 44 396 9 2 2 42 4 92.6
Detroit Lions
Player Fantasy Comp/Att Yds YPA TD Int Long Sacks Rtg
Jared Goff 23.8 23 / 32 320 10 2 0 70 1 124.5
Rushing
Minnesota Vikings
Player Fantasy Car Yds YPC TD Long Fum Lost
Justin Jefferson 39 1 -12 -12 0 0 0
Nick Mullens 25.64 2 8 4 0 6 0
Ty Chandler 10.9 12 69 5.8 0 19 0
Alexander Mattison 3.9 7 24 3.4 0 11 0
Detroit Lions
Player Fantasy Car Yds YPC TD Long Fum Lost
David Montgomery 10 10 40 4 1 8 0
Jahmyr Gibbs 9 13 30 2.3 1 8 0
Receiving
Minnesota Vikings
Player Fantasy Tgt Rec Yds YPT YPR TD Long
Justin Jefferson 39 14 12 192 13.7 16 1 38
Jordan Addison 15.7 8 4 57 7.1 14.2 1 42
Ty Chandler 10.9 3 2 20 6.7 10 0 14
Johnny Mundt 10.8 6 5 58 9.7 11.6 0 32
Josh Oliver 5.1 3 2 31 10.3 15.5 0 20
Alexander Mattison 3.9 1 1 5 5 5 0 5
Nick Muse 3.2 1 1 22 22 22 0 22
K.J. Osborn 2.9 4 2 9 2.2 4.5 0 6
Brandon Powell 1.2 3 1 2 0.7 2 0 2
Detroit Lions
Player Fantasy Tgt Rec Yds YPT YPR TD Long
Amon-Ra St. Brown 30.4 10 7 144 14.4 20.6 1 70
Sam LaPorta 13.9 7 5 29 4.1 5.8 1 9
Josh Reynolds 9.4 7 5 44 6.3 8.8 0 18
Jahmyr Gibbs 9 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Kalif Raymond 7 2 2 50 25 25 0 41
Donovan Peoples-Jones 4.5 2 2 25 12.5 12.5 0 20
James Mitchell 3.4 1 1 24 24 24 0 24
Dan Skipper 1.4 1 1 4 4 4 0 4
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