And the Lions made it count Thursday afternoon, pulling off another fourth-quarter semi-miracle to beat the Minnesota Vikings and take over first place in the NFC North. But it was an unusually compelling Thanksgiving Day opener, and it added to what is shaping up as an extremely interesting season for the Lions. Few gave the Lions much chance of thriving this season minus Johnson. Eleven games later, however, Stafford is a league MVP candidate and the Lions could be on their way to the playoffs. Minnesota has adjusted its offensive approach since Norv Turner resigned as Vikings offensive coordinator and was replaced by Pat Shurmur.

Source: Washington Post November 24, 2016 23:48 UTC