Although they may have harmed their prospects of a lengthy postseason run, the Detroit Lions strengthened their limited odds of advancing to the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs.
In the regular season finale of the Lions at Ford Field on Sunday, Jared Goff threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns as the team defeated the Minnesota Vikings 30-20. However, in the process, starting tight end Sam LaPorta and punt returner Kalif Raymond suffered knee injuries.
LaPorta had a left knee injury late in the first half after Josh Metellus tackled him and caused an unnatural leg bend.
Before getting hurt, LaPorta, the second-leading receiver for the Lions, set an NFL record with 86 receptions as a rookie tight end, including a 2-yard touchdown throw in the first quarter. He hobbled off the field and was carried to the locker room after receiving additional assessment beneath the blue medical tent on the sideline.
At the half, Lions coach Dan Campbell stated on the Fox broadcast that LaPorta would require more testing on Monday to ascertain the full severity of the injury.
Early in the fourth quarter, Raymond hurt his left knee on a quick grab. Following a quick inspection on the sidelines, he hobbled to the locker room.
Both safety Brian Branch (wrist) and receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (torso) exited the game momentarily due to injuries, but they returned to play.
The Lions, who won 12 games overall for the first time since 1991 and the second time in team history, will probably play the Los Angeles Rams or Green Bay Packers at home to start the playoffs next week.
They had the No. 3 seed in the NFC going into the week, but they needed to climb up to No. 2 in the standings with a victory over the Vikings on Sunday and losses by the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles and Cowboys are strong favorites to play in Sunday’s late-afternoon timeslot.
Campbell said that he planned to give his starters their typical playing time this week, with the No. 2 seed still up for grabs. Even after losing Raymond and LaPorta, he stuck to his plan.
Goff played behind the Lions’ entire starting offensive line and finished the game with a 23-for-32 throwing yards total. St. Brown continued to play during the Lions’ penultimate drive despite taking a knee to the ribs from Vikings defensive end Harrison Smith, which forced him to repeatedly stretch his side in the second half. And with just over two minutes left, C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s game-winning interception came about as a result of Aidan Hutchinson applying pressure to Vikings quarterback Nick Mullens.
St. Brown caught seven passes for 144 yards and a 70-yard score, David Montgomery ran for 40 yards on ten carries to surpass 1,000 yards rushing for the second time in his career, and Hutchinson finished with two sacks for a career-high 11½.
After Barry Sanders retried prior to the 1999 season, Montgomery became the fifth Lions player to carry for 1,000 yards with 1,015 yards in the end.
With 13 carries for 30 yards in the end, Jahmyr Gibbs, who was 85 yards short of 1,000 yards heading into the game, put the Lions barely short of becoming the eighth club in NFL history to have two 1,000-yard backs. Gibbs totals 945 yards in the end.
In Week 16, the Lions defeated the Vikings to win their first division crown since 1993. On Sunday, they played at Ford Field in front of a blue NFC North Division championship banner.
Goff’s 2-yard toss to LaPorta set up the first points, and Gibbs’ 3-yard run with a few minutes remaining in the first quarter gave the Lions a 13-0 lead.
The Lions (12-5) added two more scores in the second half from Montgomery (a 1-yard run) and St. Brown (a 70-yard catch that saw him zigzag all the way across the field on his way to the end zone).
