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NFL Week 17
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The Detroit Lions (8-7) travel to Minnesota to face the Vikings (7-8) in the second of three NFL games on Christmas Day.
Follow our writers for news, updates and analysis on the two teams.
Share your thoughts with us at live@theathletic.com and check out our live coverage schedule here.
Q1 14:56 – Lions 0, Vikings 0
An early injury in this one as Vikings return man Myles Price appeared to twist his anke on the opening kickoff and remains down on the field with a non-contact injury.
Q1 14:56 – Lions 0, Vikings 0
Wait, this isn’t the second volume of Stranger Things 5…
The middle course in the NFL’s Christmas tripleheader is upon us! The Vikings win the coin toss and elect to receive the ball first.
Will the Lions keep their playoff hopes alive or can the Vikings play Grinch against their division rivals? Let’s find out!
Kelly Clarkson performs her Christmas hit “Underneath The Tree” on Netflix as the Lions and Vikings get ready to take the field.
Kickoff is moments away from US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis!
Detroit and Minnesota continue our Christmas Day football fun in Minneapolis, now!
In the teams’ first meeting in early November, Minnesota edged Detroit 27-24.
Minnesota’s defense made things difficult on Lions QB Jared Goff, and J.J. McCarthy returned from an injury to have a solid day.
Our Alec Lewis and Colton Pouncy break it all down here.
GO FURTHER
Vikings-Lions takeaways: J.J. McCarthy’s return sparks Minnesota to win
Detroit and Minnesota continue their NFC North rivalry in Minneapolis today. The Vikings lead the all-time series 81-45-2, including a 27-24 win last month.
Detroit is at best a long shot to make it to the NFC playoffs, but it’s not done yet. Still, one loss or one Packers win eliminates the Lions from the postseason, which would mark a disappointing season for the franchise.
Our Ryan Best and Austin Mock explain it all here.
The Lions have now lost three of their past four games, watching their playoff hopes in the NFC fade away rapidly. Here are your views on Detroit ahead of this afternoon’s game:
💬 Andrew T: “Remember when Anzalone held out for ‘what he deserved’ in preseason? He’s followed that up with his worst season here. The Gainwell play is an encapsulation of all the reasons he wasn’t paid.”
💬 Maxnet 3: “Under this regime, the Lions seem destined to have massive numbers of injuries and no matter how the roster is built, that is a killer. You can draft and sign the exact players you need but it’s for naught if they’re not on the field.”
💬 Matt C: “Holmes killed it in getting the Lions to contention but has completely whiffed the past two years, trusting his draft acumen way too much and refusing to add real depth through free agency, opting instead for one or two mediocre signings that he trumpets as major upgrades.”
💬 Gordie R: “The lack of accountability on this team from top to bottom is mind boggling.”
J.J. McCarthy seemed to be finding a bit of momentum down the stretch for the Minnesota Vikings after an underwhelming season, but a hand injury suffered in Week 16 further complicated his development and the organization’s outlook at quarterback moving forward.
Alec Lewis of The Athletic provides insights on McCarthy’s injury and Minnesota’s plans at quarterback heading into the offseason.
GO FURTHER
J.J. McCarthy’s hand injury could complicate Vikings’ QB future despite win over Giants
After Jordan Mason was injured against the New York Giants, Aaron Jones got his largest workload of the season and did well with the opportunity.
With Mason out and J.J. McCarthy sidelined for the second half, the veteran back got 21 carries and rushed for 85 yards, averaging 4.0 yards per attempt. His previous season-high in rushing attempts came in Week 11 against the Chicago Bears when he rushed 16 times.
The U.S. Bank Stadium crowd. What will it look, sound and feel like with a 7-8 team? It’ll be fascinating to see the reaction if things go well for starting quarterback Max Brosmer. It’ll also be interesting to see the fallout if the game gets out of hand. Brosmer’s play is most interesting. His debut in Seattle was brutal. He looked more comfortable and confident last week in the second half against New York, but the Giants’ defense is not imposing.
The Lions are more aggressive and will be playing for their playoff lives. They will play man coverage, regardless of who they have available on the back end. Especially with Michael Jurgens playing center, Brosmer will have to keep calm in the pocket. If he can, and if he gets the ball out quickly as is his trademark, I wouldn’t be shocked to see him play well.
Jameson Williams had a quiet start to the season, but he remained patient, understanding his time would come, and he was right.
During the past month, the speedy wideout has been featured heavily, totaling at least 70 yards receiving in four straight games. Against Pittsburgh, he paced Detroit with five catches for 70 yards a week after snagging seven catches for 134 yards with a touchdown.
After signing a new deal in the offseason, Williams has delivered — totaling 1,006 yards and seven touchdowns on 57 catches.
The Vikings' inactives vs. the Lions: QB J.J. McCarthy, QB Brett Rypien (emergency third QB), RB Jordan Mason, LB Austin Keys, RT Brian O'Neill, TE T.J. Hockenson
The Vikings' absence of O'Neill today is a massive one. The team is already without left tackle Christian Darrisaw and center Ryan Kelly. That means the offensive line will include three backups and a right tackle in Blake Brandel, who hasn't played the position this season. This matters. Especially against a Detroit front with talent, featuring Aidan Hutchinson and Alim McNeil. Vikings starter Max Brosmer will have to get the ball out quickly. He has the skillset to do it. The Lions' secondary is also banged up, so there should be space for the Vikings' receivers. Notably, Minnesota also won't have tight end T.J. Hockenson or running back Jordan Mason. Missing out on both of those means Josh Oliver and running back Aaron Jones will shoulder the bulk of the workload at both positions. Offensively, this isn't going to be an easy go for Minnesota. The Vikings are going to need Brian Flores' defense to do what it has done for most of this season.
Lions inactives: LT Taylor Decker, OL Trystan Colon, DL Tyler Lacy, WR Dominic Lovett, S Avonte Maddox, OL Michael Niese, DL Mekhi Wingo.
Tough break for the Lions, who downgraded starting left tackle Taylor Decker (illness) to questionable hours ago, before ultimately ruling him out. The Lions aren’t technically out of the playoff race, so Decker must be going through it. Seems like a bug is going around the locker room, with others on the injury report with illnesses this week. Expect Dan Skipper to get the nod in place of Decker. Not ideal against a Brian Flores defense, but the Vikings are missing Jonathan Greenard, which could help minimize Decker’s absence a bit.
While the Lions are more than capable of having success through the air, Detroit loves to lean on its running game, and the Pittsburgh Steelers completely eliminated that element of the game in Week 16.
Detroit ran the ball 12 times for 15 yards, averaging 1.3 yards per attempt. Jahmyr Gibbs was held to 2 yards rushing on seven attempts while David Montgomery totaled 14 yards on four attempts.
Gibbs ended up doing most of his damage in the passing game, catching 10 of his 13 targets for 66 yards and a touchdown, salvaging his fantasy football output.
Detroit has lost three of its past four games and is on the brink of being eliminated from playoff contention. Potentially overlooked amid a sea of controversy and frustration was how well Jared Goff played in Week 16 despite the loss last week.
Completing 34-of-54 passes, Goff threw for 364 yards with three touchdowns, one each to Jahmyr Gibbs, Kalif Raymond and Isaac TeSlaa. It was Goff’s second straight week with 300-plus yards passing and three touchdowns, also achieving that feat against the Rams in Week 15.
Goff is up to 4,036 passing yards this season with 32 touchdowns and just five interceptions.
While it was far from his most prolific performance, Justin Jefferson finally looked like himself a bit in Minnesota’s Week 16 win over the Giants. On eight targets, “Jettas” caught six passes for 85 yards, including a couple of toe-drag swag snags along the sideline.
During the three weeks before that game, Jefferson had caught just six passes for 37 yards, which is well below his standard of excellence. It has been a frustrating year for the entire organization, but Jefferson has managed to remain composed for the most part.
He still has an opportunity to eclipse 1,000 yards receiving, currently at 917 yards on 72 catches with just two touchdowns.
Nobody likes it when the biggest talking point after a competitive game is officiating, but unfortunately, that was the case after Detroit’s potential game-winning touchdown was negated due to a pass interference call, as Pittsburgh escaped with a 29-24 win at Ford Field.
Here are the key takeaways from a tight game with a controversial ending.
In a battle of two young quarterbacks at MetLife Stadium, there was no clear winner. Jaxson Dart was outmatched against an aggressive Vikings defense, and J.J. McCarthy suffered a hand injury that forced him to exit the game, missing valuable reps once again.
Here are the takeaways from Minnesota’s 16-13 win over New York in Week 16.
