Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores and his defensive unit make life challenging for the Detroit Lions‘ offense. In a must-win game for the Lions to keep their playoff hopes alive, it was the Vikings’ defense that played the Grinch in the 23-10 win on Christmas Day at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The Vikings’ defense forced six Lions turnovers, recording two interceptions and recovering four fumbles. Moreover, they sacked Detroit’s Jared Goff five times and limited the offense to 3.6 yards per play.
Defeating the Lions marked the Vikings’ fourth straight win as they look to end the 2025 NFL season on a positive note. After losing to Minnesota on December 25, Goff spoke to the media and noted what the Vikings did well on defense to frustrate them.
“They did a good job on defense, had a good plan, and exploited some things on us,” Goff said. “They were able to get after us, adding an extra rusher a lot of times. Whenever that happens, it’s a free rusher. They did a good job with that. We had a plan that we thought would attack that, and it didn’t work well enough.
“… We had some good third-down conversions. They came out in the second half and adjusted pretty well and had some different stuff for us. We didn’t do a good enough job on our side of adjusting to those different things that they were doing.”
Harrison Smith Talks Defensive Showing Against Lions
One of the players who made life difficult for the Lions’ offense was Vikings veteran Harrison Smith. The Minnesota safety recorded three tackles along with one sack and one interception. After the contest, he spoke with Ben Leber postgame to talk about his performance.
“Today was one of the best defensive performances as a unit we’ve ever been a part of,” Smith said. “Guys were flying around. We were having fun. That’s what it’s about… Just our aggressiveness, the way [Flores] calls it, sets it up. It gives us some freedom to do some different things and keep them guessing.”
Minnesota’s defense has allowed the team to end the season on a positive note. The group will look to carry this momentum heading into the final game of the 2025 NFL season against the Green Bay Packers as the Vikings look to end the campaign on a five-game winning streak.
Vikings Give J.J. McCarthy Injury Update
The question heading into that Vikings-Packers game will be whether J.J. McCarthy will be ready to play. After the win, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell was asked whether McCarthy’s hand injury would keep him out of the final game of the season.
“He’s doing well,” O’Connell told reporters after the win on December 25. “He’s doing well with the extra time until next week. We’ll see if it all comes down to just grip strength and his ability to grip the football and throw it. I would obviously love to have him get one more opportunity this year.
“But at the same time, Max is clearly learning what it takes to win games, and you have to play it differently, maybe depending on the night and how it goes. I look forward to seeing how J.J. progresses early in the week, and we’ll see if we can have him next week.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Jared Goff Doesn’t Hold Back on Vikings Defense After Lions Loss appeared first on Heavy Sports.