robdiddy 
The Vikings finished what The Steelers started and ensured that much like what The Lions did in Aaron Rodgers game as a Packer, that there would be no playoff games for the lions. Would you even want to watch them lose in the playoffs again? With the team having worse performance then the 2023 and 2024 Detroit Lions team that dominated the League. Losing Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn and a ton of injuries made this a Lions team that couldn’t get going no matter what they tried.
Nearly two years to the day after the Detroit Lions snapped a 30-year drought for the division title with a win at Minnesota on Christmas Eve, Detroit’s 2025 playoff hopes were officially laid to rest at U.S. Bank Stadium on Christmas.
The Lions, who had eight giveaways all season entering Thursday, turned it over six times. Quarterback Jared Goff, who was under duress all game because of Minnesota’s hellacious blitz, threw two interceptions, fumbled three times, all recovered by Minnesota, and was sacked five times in a 23-10 loss that officially eliminated the Lions (8-8) from the playoffs and moved Detroit to last place in the NFC North.
The Truth As Spoken By National Media
The Vikings offense only made one big play against the Lions on Thursday, but that turned out to be all they needed.
Wide receiver Jordan Addison took a handoff on an end around and sprinted 65 yards for a touchdown with 3:43 left to play to lift the Vikings to a 20-10 lead over the Lions. That left enough time left for the Lions to mount a comeback that would keep their playoff their hopes alive, but their sixth turnover of the day put an end to those dreams.
Quarterback Jared Goff couldn’t handle a high shotgun snap and Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel fell on it to give the ball back to the Vikings in Lions territory. The Lions were able to force the Vikings into a third-and-5, which was generally a good spot for them in this contest but rookie quarterback Max Brosmer made his biggest throw of the game to wide receiver Justin Jefferson for a first down.
Will Reichard’s third field goal of the game came with just over a minute left to make the final score 23-10.
It was the second fumbled snap that Van Ginkel recovered and just part of an excellent Christmas performance. He also forced a fumble on a sack he split with Dallas Turner and pressured Goff into the first of two interceptions he threw in the third quarter. The Vikings defense had five sacks overall and limited the Lions to 196 yards en route to the win.
That made up for a dreadful offensive performance of their own. They had just 75 yards of offense before Addison’s big play and they finished the day with just three net passing yards after the Jefferson catch. The outing underscored how much bad quarterback play hampered a Vikings team with a good defense this season and making sure things go better next season should be their top priority once the calendar flips to 2026.
The Lions will have plenty of work to do as well. The loss clinched a playoff spot for the Packers and the Lions have now gone 3-6 after a 5-2 start to the year. Injuries played a role in their slide, but it feels clear that the Lions did not adequately replace what they lost when assistants like Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn left after helping the team go 15-2 last season.
More changes will likely come to the coaching staff as the Lions try to find a better approach next season and head coach Dan Campbell’s seat could get hot in a hurry if they aren’t able to get off to a strong start next September. The work to ensure that doesn’t happen will begin in earnest after next week’s game in Chicago while the Vikings will close out the year by hosting the Packers
https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill
https://rss.com/podcasts/the-robert-banker-show/2413515
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