The Detroit Lions did something in Week 13 they haven’t done all year. Dan Campbell’s Lions took a 20-6 lead into the locker room at halftime against the Minnesota Vikings.
When kicker Riley Patterson nailed a short field goal to push the lead to 20-6 just before the half, it established the largest lead of the season for Detroit. it also cracked the 20-point barrier for the first time since Week 1, a game where the Lions trailed 38-10 at one point.
The half represented the best we’ve seen from Jared Goff at quarterback all season. After two early misfires, Goff caught fire. He was more confident in attacking down the field, using WR Josh Reynolds and TE T.J. Hockenson to exploit bad coverage by an injury-depleted Minnesota defense.
Goff’s stat line at the half: 13-for-17, 185 yards, two TDs, no giveaways, QB Rating of 150.4.
The Detroit defense played very well. Rookie CB Jerry Jacobs recorded third-down stops on Minnesota’s first two possessions. Charles Harris recorded a strip sack with some help by nose tackle Alim McNeill. The tackling was on-point and the coverage solid.
Campbell outcoached his counterpart, Mike Zimmer, in the half as well. The Lions rookie coach gambled on a timeout on Minnesota’s final drive of the half and it paid off. Zimmer gambled by going for it on fourth down and the Lions capitalized by adding a bonus field goal. Too many times this season those outcomes have gone against Detroit.
It’s only one half, and the Lions are certainly capable of blowing their biggest lead of the season. But it’s still better than the alternative and shows that there is some life with these winless Lions.