Vikings...20 Lions...16
Tarvaris Jackson threw a go-ahead touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter and the Minnesota Vikings held on for a 20-16 victory over the winless Detroit Lions.
The Vikings (8-5) lost starting quarterback Gus Frerotte to a back injury, but Jackson filled in well and kept them atop the NFC North.
At this point, Detroit (0-13) is expected to finish the season as the first 0-16 team in league history, with games remaining at Indianapolis, against New Orleans and at Green Bay. The Lions are the fourth team to start 0-13 or worse since 1976, when Tampa Bay infamously finished 0-14 as an expansion team.
Quoteworthy: “In your mind you don’t want to be the team to lose to a winless team this late in the year.” -- Jared Allen, Vikings defensive end
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
