The NFL Christmas Day slate continued on Thursday night with an NFC North duel between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings. While only Detroit came into the game with playoff hopes, NFL fans watching on Christmas Day on Netflix saw the Vikings fight like a playoff team.
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Let’s dive into the winners and losers from the Lions vs Vikings on Christmas Day, with Minnesota putting on a defensive clinic in a 23-10 victory.
Winner: Isaac TeSlaa, WR, Detroit Lions
On a night where very little went right for the Lions offense, rookie wideout Isaac TeSlaa was one of the few bright spots. Detroit faced a critical 3rd-and-16 midway through the game at its 14-yard line, in desperate need of a big play and some momentum. TeSlaa got open downfield and set up the offense near midfield. Just a few plays later, he came through in the clutch again with a leaping touchdown grab on 4th-and-Goal. It gave the Lions a tie before halftime. A third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, TeSlaa is really coming on as of late with 4 touchdowns in the last five games.
Loser: Max Brosmer, QB, Minnesota Vikings
You would think that in a game where Minnesota’s defense generated 6 takeaways, many of them near midfield or in Lions territory, the team would have easily scored 24-plus points. It did not happen. Filling in for the injured J.J. McCarthy, Brosmer had -7 net passing yards with 7 sacks taken and just a 2.9 yards-per-attempt average on the first nine drives by the Vikings offense. Time and time again, he held onto the football too long and reacted poorly to pressure around him. If not for Brosmer—who finished 9-of-16 for 51 passing yards—Minnesota might have won this one by three scores.
Winner: Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Detroit Lions
Entering Christmas Day, Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson had 11.5 sacks on the season, and all of them came at Ford Field. The Pro Bowl edge rusher clearly got tired of whiffing on that elusive road takedown of the quarterback, twice sacking Brosmer in the first half on Thursday. Hutchinson was a force to be reckoned with off the edge, adding to his recent dominance as he has now recorded 5 sacks in the last three games.
Related: NFL Defense Rankings 2025
Loser: Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings
Justin Jefferson is still going to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark this season, giving him six consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns to begin his NFL career. However, the All-Pro wideout, who is closing in on the record for the most receiving yards in the first six seasons (Randy Moss, 8,375 receiving yards), is putting up some WR4 numbers amid the Vikings’ quarterback situation. Even after an 85-yard performance last week, Jefferson came into Christmas Day averaging just 39.4 receiving yards per game in his last eight contests. Against Detroit, he finished with just 30 receiving yards.
Winner: Brian Flores, Minnesota Vikings Defensive Coordinator
For Minnesota to have any chance of winning at home against the Lions, it would take a defensive clinic. Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores has delivered quite a few of those this season, especially as of late. Heading into Week 17, Minnesota had allowed just 17.6 points and 255.4 total yards per game with a 4.36 yards-per-play average, 2.8 sacks per game, 6 takeaways, and a 32.8 percent third-down conversion rate in the last five games. Detroit turned it over 6 times and Jared Goff took 5 sacks, playing a massive role in the Lions offense mustering just 231 total yards on 13 drives with a 3.6 yards-per-play average and just 10 points scored. This was a defensive master class from Flores and Detroit only eclipsed 200 yards because of garbage time on the final drive.
Loser: Jared Goff, QB, Detroit Lions
This brutal performance from Jared Goff does not fall entirely on his shoulders, as the Lions offensive line was abysmal on Thursday night. With that said, Goff had a pair of inexcusable interceptions, both of which resulted in scoring drives from Minnesota that covered 32 total yards across the two possessions. He finished the game with 5 turnovers (3 fumbles lost and 2 interceptions). It is another performance where Goff showed his warts versus pressure, and he lived under duress in this must-win game for the Lions. He is a very good quarterback under ideal circumstances, but if the Lions’ offensive line is not great and there is not an elite play-caller, we more often see him perform like an average starter.
Winner: Green Bay Packers
On Christmas Day, the Packers woke up hoping their hated rival would do them a massive favor and gift them a spot in the playoffs. The Minnesota Vikings delivered that present to Green Bay tonight. With Detroit’s loss, the Packers have officially clinched a playoff spot. It means Green Bay can play it safe, if needed, on Saturday with the health of Jordan Love, Josh Jacobs, Evan Williams and Co. against the Baltimore Ravens.
Loser: Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions Head Coach
The first year without offensive play-caller Ben Johnson was a complete disaster for Dan Campbell. He hired John Morton, a former colleague and close friend, to take over as the Lions offensive coordinator this season. Then, dissatisfied with the results, Campbell took over play-calling duties just in time to face one of the league’s worst defense. However, coming into tonight, the Lions offense had been really up-and-down with far more issues than last year on critical downs. On Thursday, he was plainly outcoached. The Lions have a lot of needs to address this offseason, play-caller is one of them.
