DETROIT — The Minnesota Vikings did an admirable job frustrating Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff for much of Sunday’s divisional clash at Ford Field.
However, it was a different story when it came to slowing down Jahmyr Gibbs.
The Lions’ second-year running back delivered a standout performance in the regular-season finale against the Vikings, finishing with 23 carries for 139 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught five passes for 31 yards and a touchdown.
Gibbs performance accounted for all of the Lions’ touchdowns in their 31-9 win over the Vikings, delivering the Lions their second consecutive NFC North crown and locking up the conference’s No. 1 seed.
“He’s as explosive as anybody in the National Football League,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said after the game. “I thought we did a pretty good job on him for the most part, but against a player like that, all it takes is a little bit of space.
“All it takes is a little bit of a crease for him to hit that thing, and he’s going to be tough to tackle in space when he gets out there. We knew that coming in. I thought Flo and the guys did some really, really good things in the first half to keep us in the football game.”
To O’Connell’s point, the Vikings limited Gibbs to 12 carries for 42 yards, averaging 3.5 yards per rush with one touchdown in the first half. In the second half, though, Gibbs turned it up, adding 11 carries for 97 yards and two rushing touchdowns. He also recorded three catches for 33 yards and a score, sealing the win for Detroit.
“Like I said, this game could look different in the end very easily with one or two more plays down in the red zone being successful,” O’Connell said. “The way that works with momentum and energy—it’s a boost for your whole team. I thought the guys fought. I thought they battled.
“At the end, once we weren’t successful on our second-to-last drive, knowing we were going to be playing Monday night, I wanted to make sure we started taking some guys out. It was about starting to prepare for Monday night, even though that game hadn’t ended yet.”
The Vikings were 0-for-4 in red-zone opportunities, while the Lions converted all three of theirs.
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