The Detroit Lions are winless no more after beating the Minnesota Vikings 29-27 on Sunday to end weeks of agony and ridicule.
Down four points with four seconds left on the clock, wide receiver Amon-Ra St Brown caught an 11-yard endzone pass from quarterback Jared Goff in front of a relieved home crowd, improving their record to 1-10-1.
“I was proud of our guys, man — they fought,” head coach Dan Campbell told reporters. “They’ve continued to fight all year and it paid dividends today and we found a way to win.”
Photo: AFP
Campbell dedicated the game ball to the community of Oxford, Michigan, where a teenager was last week charged with first-degree murder in the deadliest US school shooting of the year, which killed four students.
The Lions previously had a winless season in 2008, holding the dubious distinction of being the first franchise to do so since the league expanded its schedule to 16 games in 1978.
There were early signs of trouble after the team lost all of their pre-season games, having traded long-time quarterback Matthew Stafford for Goff in a blockbuster deal earlier this year.
Detroit settled for a tie against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 10 and has put up one of the least productive offenses in the league this season.
“It came down to one play and we were able to make it,” said Goff, a former first overall pick.
“We weren’t perfect, but having the ability to overcome mistakes is the sign of a good team,” Goff added.
Also on Sunday, it was:
‧ Cardinals 33, Bears 22
‧ Chargers 41, Bengals 22
‧ Steelers 20, Ravens 19
‧ Buccaneers 30, Falcons 17
‧ Dolphins 20, Giants 9
‧ Eagles 33, Jets 18
‧ Rams 37, Jaguars 7
‧ Washington 17, Raiders 15
‧ Chiefs 22, Broncos 9
‧ Colts 31, Texans 0
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