Vikings vs. Lions 2017 live results: Score updates and highlights from Thanksgiving Day

The first of three Thanksgiving Day NFL games will feature an NFC North battle between the Minnesota Vikings (8-2) and Detroit Lions (6-4). The Lions are a fixture on Thanksgiving, and they have a great opportunity to make gains in the division on Thursday. The game will begin at 12:30 p.m. ET on FOX (live streaming via Fox Sports GO).

Minnesota is coming off six consecutive wins, its latest being a 24-7 victory over the surprisingly good Los Angeles Rams. Many have suggested the Vikings have been beating up on bad teams to make their way to the top of the NFC North, but they’re beating the teams in front of them and that’s what matters.

Their last loss, however, came in their first game against the Lions, a 14-7 win for Detroit — in Minneapolis. It was a defensive battle, with neither offense being particularly impressive. Matthew Stafford completed 19 of 31 passes for 209 yards and was sacked six times. He had no touchdowns or interceptions, same as Case Keenum for Minnesota, who also completed 16 of 30 passes for 219 yards.

Neither team rushed for 100 yards, with the only touchdowns being short rushes. But while the Vikings went on to win their next six games, the Lions lost three straight before launching what is now a three-game winning streak.

The Lions last beat the Chicago Bears in a close 27-24 game. They haven’t looked great, but those three recent wins have them second in the division and within striking distance of the Vikings. The Bears aren’t really a factor at 3-7, while the Green Bay Packers are a game back of the Lions at 5-5 on the season.

Minnesota is definitely one of the weirdest division-leaders at this point in the season. It’s had issues at the quarterback position, with Teddy Bridgewater out with injury and Sam Bradford struggling, but Keenum has found some rhythm in recent games.

Pregame reading

Keenum isn’t an All-Pro quarterback by any means, but he’s playing well enough to keep Bridgewater, now healthy for the first time in over a year, on the bench.

Keenum has been more than a game manager for a Viking team that’s surprised throughout 2017. After a rocky start — losses in Weeks 2 and 4 — the sixth-year veteran has laid the foundation for the league’s ninth-ranked offense. In his last six games, all victories, he’s averaged 240 passing yards per game and a 68% completion rate.
His numbers got even better once Bridgewater returned from injured reserve to push him for playing time. In his last two games, hard-earned wins against Washington and the Rams, he’s thrown for 584 yards and five touchdowns while completing 71.6 percent of his passes.

The Lions have come close before. In fact, back in 2014, the Lions were a game away from sweeping the NFC North in both home and away games. But a Week 17 matchup in Lambeau prevented the Lions from winning the North and from getting the full sweep.
Detroit will get the opportunity to continue their sweep of the division next week. On Thursday, the Minnesota Vikings—hot on a six-game winning streak—come to town. The Lions remain two games behind Minnesota in the NFC North race, but if they can win on Thanksgiving, they will have swept the Vikings and hold the tiebreaker over them for the rest of season.

On one running play, Akeem Spence drove the offensive lineman into the backfield and made a tackle for loss. That is the only good thing I’ll be saying about the defensive line.
Detroit’s front four was an absolute disaster on Sunday. Earlier in the week, I wrote about how the Lions’ defensive end rotation is a mess, and Detroit proved me right against the Bears. Anthony Zettel and Jeremiah Valoagawere horrible both in the running and passing games. They were extremely susceptible to misdirection and completely failed to hold the edge in the running game.

Meanwhile, fans over at Daily Norseman are already thinking about the playoffs. The Vikings are in line for a first-round bye.
For the Vikings, beating the Rams wasn’t just getting another win — it made a statement that they can beat good teams when it comes down to it, as noted by Daily Norseman.

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