Detroit Lions

Jared Goff, Detroit Lions win nail-biter vs. Minnesota Vikings for first win in a year

Updated Dec. 6, 2021 2:41 p.m. ET

Leave it to Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions to make their first win of the NFL season anything but routine.

Down to literally the final play of the game, Goff zipped a pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown on fourth-and-2 with four seconds on the clock to seal the win against the Minnesota Vikings.

Boom. Ballgame. A 29-27 win and a 1-10-1 record for the Lions.

Getting to that decisive moment was an adventure, too. Up 23-21 with just more than four minutes remaining, the Lions seemed poised to eke out a win.

However, Lions head coach Dan Campbell went with a big gamble on fourth-and-1 from his own 28-yard line — a gamble that didn't quite pay off. Rather than picking up a fresh set of downs and the ability to burn some extra clock, Goff was sacked and fumbled at the 19-yard line.

That decision immediately raised eyebrows, as Vikings QB Kirk Cousins hit wideout Justin Jefferson with a TD pass to take a 27-23 lead with less than two minutes on the clock.

But Minnesota's failed two-point conversion attempt left the door open for the Lions to win with a touchdown of their own.

With no timeouts and 1:50 left to work, the Lions had to go 75 yards — 80 if you count a false start that backed them up an extra five — to avoid remaining the NFL's only team without a win this season.

Goff got after it, marching the Lions all the way down for the big score, much to the delight of Campbell, who got his first win as a full-time NFL head coach.

The 27-year-old Goff went 9-for-14 on the drive, picking up five first downs.

Two of the incompletions on that drive were the result of a spike to stop the clock, so Goff went 9-for-12 on pass attempts in the game-defining possession.

In the end, he finished 25-for-41 for 296 yards, three touchdowns, one interception and a 97.2 passer rating. In his postgame interview immediately following the victory, Goff was nearly at a loss for words.

Considering it had been almost a year to the day since the Lions celebrated their previous win, which came on Dec. 6 of 2020, Goff's reaction made sense.

However, on Monday, Colin Cowherd of the "The Herd" was not as speechless as the Lions' QB.

Cowherd said that, despite their woeful record, there is a lot to like about the Lions.

Social media had its say following Detroit's first win of the season, too.

Here is how the sports world reacted in the immediate aftermath.