The Minnesota Vikings forced six turnovers and kept the potent Detroit offense in check, winning 23-10 and knocking the Lions out of playoff contention on Christmas Day.
Vikings edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel had five tackles, 1.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries. Veteran safety Harrison Smith added an interception, a sack and had three pass knockdowns.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff was 18-for-29 passing for 197 yards and one touchdown, but he was intercepted twice and lost three fumbles. Detroit’s Pro Bowl running back, Jahmyr Gibbs, was held to 41 yards and lost a fumble as well.
In his second NFL start, Vikings quarterback Max Brosmer was under constant pressure from the Lions pass rush. Brosmer was 9-for-16 passing for just 51 yards — but no turnovers — and was sacked seven times. Minnesota ended up with just 3 net passing yards.
The defense kept the Vikings in the game, stopping the run, forcing the six turnovers and sacking Goff five times. The Lions offense had turned the ball over just eight times all season before Thursday.
Minnesota opened the scoring with a 1-yard, first-quarter touchdown run from Aaron Jones, capitalizing on a Detroit fumble in its own red zone.
The Lions tied the score on a 19-play, 80-yard drive that ate up over 10 minutes of the second quarter. On fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line, Goff hit Isaac TeSlaa, who made a leaping catch over two defenders in the end zone.
Vikings kicker Will Reichard hit three second-half field goals — from 52, 56 and 42 yards — two of which came off of Detroit turnovers. Receiver Jordan Addison put the game out of reach with under four minutes remaining, taking an end-around 65 yards for a touchdown. Until then, the team’s longest drive of the day resulted in 29 yards and a punt.
To make the playoffs, the Lions needed to win their final two games — against the Vikings and then in Chicago against the Bears in Week 18 — and see the Green Bay Packers lose their last two games. Their loss clinches a postseason spot for the Packers.
Vikings defense rules the day
The Vikings beat the Lions because of their defense. Brian Flores’ unit, which entered Thursday having gone six games without allowing a passing touchdown, dominated, forcing six turnovers. They shut down Detroit’s run game, and quarterback Jared Goff looked flustered throughout.
Veteran safety Harrison Smith had perhaps his best game of the season. The 36-year-old did what he did in his prime, roving around the line of scrimmage, communicating on the back end and wreaking havoc. He, edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel, defensive tackle Jalen Redmond and linebacker Blake Cashman led the defense to an exceptional performance.
Was it the prettiest overall showing? No. But Flores’ unit did what it has done in the back half of the 2025 season. — Alec Lewis, Vikings beat reporter
“Let’s meet at the QB” – Van Ginkel and Turner, probably pic.twitter.com/z5iMusX5ce
— NFL (@NFL) December 26, 2025
No answer to the QB questions
Minnesota’s passing game has been one of the NFL’s worst for much of the season. Second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy didn’t play Thursday, but undrafted rookie Max Brosmer struggled mightily. He held the ball too long in the pocket. And the offense line was without its starting left tackle (Christian Darrisaw), starting center (Ryan Kelly) and starting right tackle (Brian O’Neill). That combination proved disastrous for the offense. Brosmer was sacked seven times, and his longest completion of the afternoon was a 10-yarder. By the end of the game, the Vikings were mostly resigned to running the ball, refusing to allow Brosmer to drop back.
How are the Vikings going to proceed? The Vikings host the Packers in Week 18. McCarthy has been recovering from what O’Connell described as a “very, very small hairline fracture” in his throwing hand. Seeing McCarthy once more before the end of the 2025 season would go a long way toward establishing what the Vikings need to do this offseason at quarterback. — Lewis
Rough end for Lions
This was a pitiful performance from the Lions, ruining yet another holiday for its fans. Though the Lions weren’t eliminated from playoff contention entering the game, you wouldn’t know it watching it unfold. This team looked like it was mentally checked out. Goff was sacked seven times, in one of the worst — if not the worst — offensive line performances of the Dan Campbell era.
Not only were the Lions struggling to protect Goff, but they couldn’t run the ball or take care of it, either — rushing for 68 yards on 30 carries and turning the ball over a whopping six times.
The defense held its own against Brosmer (which isn’t saying much), but it was left gashed on a 65-yard end-around from Jordan Addison — the final nail in the coffin of Detroit’s disappointing season. — Colton Pouncy, Lions beat reporter
Long offseason ahead
The Lions have some serious soul-searching to do this offseason. They need to fix an offensive line that has been bullied by most decent defensive lines this season. They’ve called plays like they still have an elite offensive line. Even with its starting secondary, the defense has been undisciplined, and without it, it has been one of the worst in the league.
With one game left, the Lions are riding a three-game losing streak and now sit fourth in the NFC North. Campbell, GM Brad Holmes and the leaders of this team need to take a hard look in the mirror when they reflect on the year that was. This is not the standard here, but it could be if they don’t make the necessary changes. — Pouncy
