Vikings’ defense shuts down Lions, knocks Detroit out of playoffs: Live updates and reaction
SOURCE:The Athletic|BY:The Athletic Live Team and more
Minnesota’s defense forced six turnovers in a 23-10 win over Detroit, including five from Jared Goff
Minnesota’s defense forced six turnovers in a 23-10 win over Detroit, including five from Jared Goff
The Athletic Live Team and more
December 25, 2025 at 9:00 PM EST
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Vikings’ defense dominates Lions
Minnesota’s defense forced six turnovers for a 23-10 Christmas Day win over NFC North rival Detroit.
The Vikings had only 161 yards of offense, including just 3 passing, but they put the game away with a 65-yard run by Jordan Addison in the fourth quarter. Then, the defense forced the sixth Lions turnover — a botched snap fumble from Jared Goff. The Lions quarterback was responsible for five of his team’s six turnovers, including three lost fumbles and two interceptions.
Minnesota improved to 8-8 with its fourth straight win. Detroit dropped to 8-8 and was eliminated from the NFC playoffs.
The Lions will finish up their 2025 season against former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and the Bears in Chicago. A matchup which looked like a few weeks ago would have a playoff spot on the line instead will have little at stake — Chicago may still have some seeding uncertainty to take care of, but Detroit will simply be playing for pride.
Next up for Vikings
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The Vikings will finish their season by hosting the Green Bay Packers, who they just helped clinch a playoff spot for, at US Bank Stadium.
It remains to be seen whether the Packers would be able to improve their seeding with a win — if not, expect Green Bay to sit Jordan Love and likely several other starters as well to rest for the playoffs.
Imagine telling someone last offseason that the Lions would finish this year in last place in their division.
Detroit now sits in last place at 8-8 with one week remaining.
Long offseason ahead
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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. With their starting secondary, their 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. Dan Campbell, 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.
A low point in Campbell's Lions tenure
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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 this game, you wouldn’t know it watching it unfold. This team looked like it was mentally checked out. Jared Goff was sacked seven times, in one of the worst — if not the worst — offensive line performances of the Dan Campbell era.
Not only did the line struggle to protect Goff, but the offense 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 third-string QB Max Brosmer (which isn’t saying much), but was left gashed on a 65-yard end around by Jordan Addison — the final nail in the coffin of Detroit’s disappointing season.
Not a fun holiday season for Lions fans
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The Lions played on both Thanksgiving and Christmas this season, two nationally televised holiday showdowns against NFC North rivals.
Detroit fell flat in both of those games, losing to the Packers at home on Thanksgiving and to the Vikings on the road on Christmas. And ultimately, those games went a very long way to costing the Lions a playoff spot.
Brosmer falls flat in second audition
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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 continuously in the pocket. And the Vikings' 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.
For a snapshot at how inept the passing game was, with five minutes to play in the fourth quarter, the Vikings had minus-7 net passing yards. Receivers Jordan Addison and Jalen Nailor were targeted twice. Brosmer was sacked seven times, and his longest pass of the Christmas evening was a 10-yard completion. Brosmer finished 8-of-15 for 41 yards.
By the end of the game, the Vikings were mostly running the ball, refusing to allow Brosmer to drop back. How are the Vikings going to proceed next week? 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.
Christmas masterpiece for Vikings defense
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The Vikings beat the Lions because of their defense. Brian Flores' unit, which entered the game having gone seven straight weeks without allowing a passing touchdown, dominated. The Vikings forced five turnovers. They shut down Detroit's run game, and quarterback Jared Goff looked flustered.
Veteran safety Harrison Smith had perhaps his best game of the season. The 36-year-old had a sack, two tackles for loss, three pass deflections and an interception. He was doing what he did in his prime: Roving around the line of scrimmage, communicating on the backend and wreaking havoc. He, edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel, defensive tackle Jalen Redmond and linebacker Blake Cashman led the Vikings' defense to an exceptional performance.
Detroit entered the game with eight turnovers on the 2025 season. The Lions turned the ball over six times in this game. Goff finished with 162 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions on 15-of-25 passing. The Vikings held Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs to 41 yards on 17 carries. Was it the prettiest overall showing? No. But Flores's unit did what it's done in the backhalf of the 2025 season.
Vikings stifle Lions run game
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There will be a lot of focus on Jared Goff’s performance today and the ability of the Vikings’ defense to shut him down — as there should be when a quarterback commits five of his team’s six turnovers.
But don’t forget about Minnesota’s steadfast refusal to let Detroit establish the run.
As a team, the Lions — despite having both Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery fully healthy and active — had just 68 total rushing yards on 30 carries, averaging 2.3 yards per carry.
'Whole defense was flying around'
Here’s Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson, speaking for Minnesota’s defense on the Netflix postgame show:
“It feels great, man. Whole defense was flying around, bro. Plays being made on the line, DBs, linebackers — it’s a great feeling.”
Added Andrew Van Ginkel, to our Dianna Russini:
“Brian Flores does a great job of putting us in position to be successful and make plays. We’ve got a resilient group of guys that continue to fight. The season didn’t go as we wanted it, but we still fought, and just proud of these guys.”
Season-long collapse for key Lions unit
Not sure I’ve seen one unit regress one year to the next quite like the Lions O-Line. It looked like one of the best I’d ever seen in Indy late last season.
Never had near the same identity this season as a team.
Green Bay Packers clinch playoff berth with Vikings’ win over Lions on Christmas
The Green Bay Packers watched from the couch as their ticket to the playoffs got punched on Christmas, thanks to the Minnesota Vikings beating the Detroit Lions 23-10. The Lions, who entered the day with their playoff hopes hanging by a thread, have officially been eliminated from postseason contention.
The Packers have now made the playoffs in each of Jordan Love’s three seasons as their starting quarterback. And for the third consecutive season, it appears likely Green Bay will be the No. 7 seed in the NFC. The Packers can still win the NFC North, but that would require winning out against the Baltimore Ravens and Minnesota Vikings, and the Chicago Bears losing out against the San Francisco 49ers and Lions.
Final team stats
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Total Yards
DET: 231
MIN: 161
Passing Yards
DET: 163
MIN: 3
Rushing Yards
DET: 68
MIN: 158
First Downs
DET: 16
MIN: 11
Turnovers
DET: 6
MIN: 0
Possession Time
DET: 32:30
MIN: 27:30
Packers grateful for Minnesota
The Packers are likely thankful for the rival Vikings tonight. Green Bay is in the postseason.
An abysmal day for Goff
His performance in Super Bowl LVI sets a high bar for “worst career performance against a Brian Flores defense,” but boy, today sure comes close to meeting that bar for Jared Goff. (Remember, Goff was the Rams’ quarterback and Flores was the Patriots’ defensive play-caller under Bill Belichick in that Super Bowl).
Of the Lions’ six turnovers, Goff was directly responsible for five of them — three lost fumbles and two interceptions.
Lions final stats
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Jared Goff - 18-of-29, 197 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs, 3 lost fumbles
Jahmyr Gibbs - 17 carries for 41 yards, 1 lost fumble
David Montgomery - 10 carries for 25 yards
Amon-Ra St. Brown - 8 catches for 68 yards
Isaac TeSlaa - 3 catches for 49 yards, 1 TD
Jameson Williams - 2 catches for 37 yards
Vikings final stats
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Max Brosmer - 9-of-16, 51 yards
Jordan Addison - 1 carry for 65 yards, 1 TD
Aaron Jones Sr. - 18 carries for 53 yards, 1 TD
Ty Chandler - 7 carries for 24 yards
Justin Jefferson - 4 catches for 30 yards
Your views on tonight's game
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The Vikings’ defense remains elite, and the Lions are officially crashing out of the playoffs. Here’s what you had to say about that game:
Gregory K.: Thank goodness tha game didn’t go to OT like it was looking like for a bit.
Eric H.: Give Harrison Smith his Gold Jacket.
Adam T.: Wild to think these two teams were at the top of the conference last year.
Chipp V.: Stafford is watching this and thanking god he got traded.
David D.: What happened to the Lions this year!?!
Kpkast: Drew Brees analysis….Vikings should take a safety? The coverage has been pretty solid imo, but that’s an unforced error.
Dan M.: Even Miami and Texas AM think this game blows.
Cory N.: Looks like Kwesi might have hit with Turner. He has really come on the 2nd half .
Packers clinch playoff spot
The Green Bay Packers just got a massive Christmas gift from an unlikely source...
The Vikings’ win over the Lions today means that fellow NFC North rival Green Bay has officially clinched a playoff spot.
Right now, the Packers are slotted in the No. 7 seed, which would send them to Chicago to face the division-leading Bears in a rematch of that spectacular prime-time showdown last week.
