The Detroit Lions no longer have a chance of making the playoffs. In their defeat to the Minnesota Vikings, Amon-Ra St. Brown’s team was undone by too many turnovers.

The Detroit Lions can put away their calculators; their last chances of making the playoffs are gone.

German receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown’s team suffered a 10-23 defeat to the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night/Friday morning German time.

The Lions offense put in a weak performance overall. Quarterback Jared Goff threw for 162 yards and one touchdown, but also threw two interceptions. St. Brown had 68 receiving yards but no touchdowns.

In one of the final drives, St. Brown injured his knee and limped off the field. There is no diagnosis yet.

But the Vikings’ offense also struggled, with the passing game in particular weak. Quarterback Max Brosmer did not manage more than 51 passing yards. He did not score a touchdown.

After the second NFL Christmas game – the Cowboys had previously defeated the Commanders – both the Vikings and the Lions now have an 8-8 record.

Lions fumble gives Vikings the lead

The game got off to a scrappy start. There were multiple punts, both quarterbacks were sacked several times – the defenses set the tone.

It took until 1:35 before the end of the first quarter before Vikings running back Aaron Jones Sr. finally ran into the end zone and put the first points on the scoreboard.

It was a bitter pill for the Lions to swallow: the TD drive was preceded by a fumble on the snap, with Goff unable to get a grip on the ball.

The Lions offense failed to gain momentum in the second quarter as well, with Goff unable to find his rhythm. Nevertheless, the Lions managed to equalize shortly before halftime.

Goff found his receiver Isaac TeSlaa on fourth down from four yards out. The score was 7-7 at halftime, with rapper Snoop Dogg providing the halftime show at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Jared Goff with two interceptions

The third quarter also began uneventfully. Ultimately, it was an interception by Goff that led to the next points. The Vikings finished the ensuing drive with a 52-yard field goal by kicker Will Reichard.

Goff threw another interception on the very next drive. After two previous fumbles, it was the Lions’ fourth turnover overall.

Once again, it was Reichard who capitalized on the turnover, scoring three more points for the Vikings from 56 yards out.

Lions commit six turnovers

The misfortune continued in the final quarter. Goff was immediately sacked, and once again the Vikings secured the fumbled ball. This time, however, the Vikings offense failed to score, and the game remained disjointed.

At least Lions kicker Jake Bates narrowed the gap to 10-13 with a 48-yard field goal with 4:39 remaining.

Just as the game seemed to be heating up again, wide receiver Jordan Addison ran 65 yards for a touchdown.

The Lions’ last hopes were dashed by another fumble, with the snap going wrong again and Goff losing the ball. Reichard sealed the 23-10 final score with his third field goal of the evening.