Winners and losers: Minnesota Vikings vs Detroit Lions

The Vikings (6-5) have lost five of six, plummeting out of first place after surging to the top of the division by winning their first five games. Their dismal offense has allowed foes to stay in close games all year.

Sure, it’s better to be lucky than good, but it helps to be good when getting lucky. Seven fourth-quarter comebacks. “We feel like we’re working our tails off to get wins”. Granted, nobody’s confusing Stafford with Manning (though they were both No. 1 picks) or the ’09 Colts with the ’16 Lions, but they both have a contagious unflappability passed onto their teams.

Rallying from a 13-10 deficit for a 16-13 win over the Minnesota Vikings in the final 1:45 of the fourth quarter Thursday at Ford Field, the Lions positioned themselves in the drivers seat for the NFC North title.

“I knew (Bradford) was going to throw, ” Slay said. “I went over (earlier) and actually kicked a couple in the net”.

No season in National Football League history has been like this, when every game has been decided by seven points or fewer. “They got us big conversions today, that was huge”.

The Detroit Lions have gone down to the wire in every game this season, so their kicker has been even more important than usual.

“We had a guy get hurt, so we were in a different personnel group, and because we were in a different personnel group, he wasn’t used to lining (up) on the ball”, Zimmer said. “To make a play in that situation, he did a great job”.

Zimmer’s club only plays one team with a winning record the rest of the way, which gives the Vikings hope.

Through it all, leave it to Boone to do what he could to cheer up the locker room and display optimism for the final five games. “There’s still a lot of football left, so we’re going to keep going”. Watch ESPN’s First Take debate whether the Lions are “Lucky or Good” below.

Sam Bradford completed 31 of 37 passes, but compiled just 224 yards passing and earned a season-low average of 7.2 yards per throw. That view was shared by tight end Kyle Rudolph. In order to win with Bradford they will need a healthy line, a running game and playmaking receivers. Then, after the Lions (7-4) intercepted a pass, he calmly kicked the victor. Slay looked as if he might have fumbled at the end of the return and had it recovered by Patterson, but a replay official deemed his knee was down. The passes that he didn’t try cost the Minnesota Vikings a win. A chop-block penalty by tackle T.J. Clemmings forced them to settle for Forbath’s 28-yard field goal with 12:38 left.

Games such as Thursday’s and wins such as Thursday’s are what will make the Lions a tough out the rest of the season and, if they make it, in the playoffs.

The Vikings, who began the season 5-0 before injuries took their toll, drop to 6-5.

The Vikings led 13-10 at 2-minute warning on Thursday, but Matt Prater made two more field goals after that to lift the Lions to victory.

Minnesota started the game without receiver Stefon Diggs (knee), cornerback Terence Newman (neck) and punt returner Marcus Sherels (rib, ankle). And so it’s no surprising that the two afternoon games saw their ratings increase from last Thanksgiving (when the two afternoon games were blowouts), while the prime time game saw its ratings decrease from last Thanksgiving (when the prime time game was a good one).

His game-winner Thursday gave the Lions a one-game lead in the NFC North and clinched the head-to-head tiebreaker with Minnesota. Detroit faces New Orleans in the Superdome on Sunday, Dec. 4.