The NFL's Last Undefeated Team Has Fallen: Lions Beat the Vikings 19-15 Behind Jahmyr Gibbs
Minnesota's run as the league's last unbeaten team ended Sunday in a 19-15 loss to Detroit. The Vikings sacked Jared Goff four times, but Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 153 yards and broke the game open in the second half, and a late Minnesota three-and-out let the Lions salt it away.
The NFL's last unbeaten team has fallen. The Minnesota Vikings saw their unblemished start come to an end on Sunday, falling 19-15 to the Detroit Lions, USA TODAY reported in a file opened and read directly by the desk this run.
Minnesota's defense did its early work - the unit sacked Lions quarterback Jared Goff four times and created havoc in the early going - but Detroit broke through in the second half with two touchdown drives, the report states. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who finished with 153 rushing yards on 23 carries, scored the first touchdown when he broke free on a 30-yard run in the third quarter, and Gibbs then powered a fourth-quarter drive capped by a 7-yard touchdown connection between Goff and wide receiver Jameson Williams.
Outside of one spectacular moment, Minnesota's offense never found a spark: wide receiver Justin Jefferson tipped an end-zone fade to himself in the second quarter for the Vikings' highlight, but the team was outgained 384 yards to 266, and quarterback Kyler Murray generated 210 yards on 17-of-29 passing, USA TODAY reported. Murray did bring the offense alive in the fourth quarter with a 51-yard deep heave to Jordan Addison, and an 8-yard strike temporarily put Minnesota back on top - before the Lions regained the lead, the Vikings went three-and-out while trailing by four, and Detroit salted the game away in the final minutes.
What is next is stated plainly in the report: fresh off their first defeat, the Vikings face a difficult road - a Monday Night Football matchup with the Buffalo Bills awaits, before road matchups with the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers. For Jacksonville readers the relevance is the shape of the league the Jaguars now lead their division inside of: as of Sunday night, no NFL team is unbeaten.
