They were so close to pulling it off last season, but when is the last time the Detroit Lions beat the Vikings in Minnesota?
In Week 5 last season, the Detroit Lions were less than a minute away from upsetting the Minnesota Vikings on the road at US Bank Stadium. A D’Andre Swift touchdown run and a two-point coversion pass from Jared Goff to KhaDarel Hodge gave them a 17-16 lead.
But alas a prevent defense for the Lions prevented nothing, and the Vikings needed just 37 seconds to move into position for Greg Joseph’s game-winning 54-yard field goal as time expired.
Overall, the Lions have not won a road game since Week 13 of the 2020 season (a 34-30 win over the Chicago Bears). That’s a 10-game winless streak on the road, with a tie in Pittsburgh last season.
The Lions will pay another visit Minnesota on Sunday, as a better team than last year with theoretically a better chance to beat the Vikings.
But there is a question to consider…
When is the last time the Detroit Lions beat the Vikings on the road?
The Lions finished the job and beat the Vikings in Week 13 last year, at home for their first win of the season. But to find a road win over the Vikings, we have to go back a bit.
Since Kirk Cousins has been Minnesota’s quarterback, the Vikings are 7-1 against the Lions. So Detroit’s last win over them in Minnesota came pre-Cousins, on Oct. 1, 2017, Week 4 of that season, by a score of 14-7.
The Vikings starting quarterback that day was Case Keenum.
The Lions’ leading rusher was Ameer Abdullah (20 carries for 94 yards and a touchdown). Darren Fells led Detroit with four receptions and Marvin Jones led the team with 42 receiving yards. Matthew Stafford was sacked five times in the game.
On the defensive side for the Lions, Anthony Zettel had two sacks.
Oh, and the Lions’ head coach for their last win in Minnesota? You’ve probably guessed it, but it was Jim Caldwell in what would be his final season.
So the Lions have a little bit of a losing streak in Minnesota to go with their broader road losing streak. Can they end both streaks on Sunday?