Darius Slay picks off pass to lift Lions over Vikings

Minnesota Vikings v Detroit Lions

The Lions and Vikings were deadlocked at 13-13 with 38 seconds remaining in Thursday’s game, when cornerback Darius Slay came up with a clutch play in the pivotal divisional matchup.

Slay read the play perfectly, jumped the route and intercepted a pass intended for Adam Thielen, setting the Lions up for the game-winning field goal and a 16-13 win.

It wasn’t pretty, but the Lions got it done. We’re used to seeing them in Thanksgiving Day shootouts, but this game was anything but. Matt Stafford made some big throws late in the fourth quarter, and that was the difference in the game. He finished with 232 yards, but the difference was that he played turnover-free football, and Sam Bradford, who probably shouldn’t have tried to force that throw to Thielen, did not.

This was the biggest game of the season for both teams, and the (7-4) Lions now have a strong hold on the NFC North lead, having beaten the Vikings in each of the two matchups and possessing a one-game lead.

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