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Vikings rally from 10-point deficit to beat Lions 28-24

chris tomasson, pioneer press
·2 min read
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There were plenty of boos early in Sunday’s game at U.S. Bank Stadium but nothing but cheers at the end.

Kirk Cousins threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open K.J. Osborn with 45 seconds left to rally the Vikings a 28-24 victory over the Detroit Lions.

It was a resounding comeback by the Vikings, who heard boos when they fell behind 14-0 in the second quarter and 24-14 in the third quarter.

Late in the third quarter, the Vikings lost star running back Dalvin Cook for the game with a shoulder injury. He ran for 97 yards on 17 carries before he was injured on a play in which he lost a fumble late in the third quarter.

A questionable coaching decision by the Lions ended up helping the Vikings. After Detroit converted four of six times in the game on fourth down, they faced fourth-and-4 at the Minnesota 30 with 1:14 left in the game and the Vikings out of timeouts.

But instead of going for it, Detroit coach Dan Campbell had Austin Seibert attempt a 54-yard field goal, which he missed badly to the right. The Vikings got the ball and drove for the winning score.

The Vikings were without star safety Harrison Smith, who was out with a concussion, and the Lions tried to take advantage of that. Jared Goff completed 25 of 40 passes for 277 yards.

The Lions gambled on offense until the end. On their second possession, they went for it on fourth-and-5 at the Vikings 32, with Goff hitting Amon-Ra St. Brown across the middle for a 30-yard gain. Jamaal Williams scored on a 2-yard run the next play for a 7-0 lead.

The Lions extended the lead to 14-0 on a Goff’s 5-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Hockenson early in the second quarter. But the Vikings to back into the game later in the quarter on a 1-yard touchdown pass from Cousins to Adam Thielen and a 4-yard TD run by Cook.

The Lions in the third quarter extended the lead to 24-14 on a 40-yard field goal by Seibert and a 13-yard touchdown run by Williams. Williams ran for 87 yards on 20 carries.

The Vikings cut the deficit to 24-21 on 6-yard touchdown run by Alexander Mattison with 7:50 left in the game. The Vikings then stuffed Williams for no gain on fourth-and-1 from the Minnesota 30, and took over with 3:30 left in the game.

The Vikings came up short on he drive when Cousins threw an incompletion on fourth-and-8 at the Minnesota 47 with 2:32 left in the game. But after they got the ball back, Cousins hit Osborn for the winning score.

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