MINNEAPOLIS — That was a legacy game for Harrison Smith.

The iconic Vikings safety was the gift that kept giving in Minnesota's 23-10 win over rival Detroit on Christmas Day at U.S. Bank Stadium in his 202^nd career start. Smith controlled the secondary with his intellect and nabbed his 39^th career interception and fifth in 26 games against the Lions, and he stayed true to his "Hitman" moniker, whacking Jared Goff on Detroit's third snap to raise his sacks total to 21.5.

Smith, quite literally, was everywhere Thursday, driving a defensive clinic put on by the Vikings that included five sacks, six takeaways and just one touchdown allowed to the No. 2 scoring offense in the NFL.

At the final 2-minute warning of Minnesota's fourth consecutive win, the stadium cameras panned to Smith on the sideline, surrounded by awestruck teammates who fanned their hands at the team captain and franchise cornerstone of the past 14 seasons. The joy smothered on Smith's face was unforgettable.

"It's pretty cool," Smith offered with a shimmer in his eyes in front of his locker moments after fake snow piled atop his head during the Netflix postgame festivities. "I don't want to get emotional about it, but it's pretty special. The fans here have never experienced [winning a] Super Bowl, always show up, and for them to keep showing up … It just shows how much they love the team, how much they love the — everything that goes into it. We're out of the playoffs. Everybody shows up in white. They do their part."

The sideline scene received a roaring applause, one befitting of the occasion of a legacy game through and through — three tackles with two for losses, one sack, the pick and three pass breakups for No. 22.

"I wanted to throw it in the stands, but I was, like, I kind of want to keep the ball. I mean, I'm 36 years old. I'll be 37 here in a few months," he said, pausing before finishing his thought. "It's like being a kid."

It all had the feel of a St. Nick Miracle. That had nothing to do with it, though. It boiled down to execution on blitzes, a tenacious play style in the trenches and teammates aiding Smith in the conquest.

"They're so good offensively. Goff does a phenomenal job and their skill guys, like, they're all game-breakers," Smith said of Detroit, which entered with only eight turnovers in their first 15 games.

Andrew Van Ginkel was similarly ubiquitous. Long blonde locks poured out of the outside linebacker's helmet as he applied pressure after pressure and recorded 1.5 sacks, five tackles and two fumble recoveries. He hand-delivered both to family members in an overhang behind the southeast end zone, like a delivery down the chimney — the first to a nephew and the second to one of his sons named Leo.

"It's one of those days when you feel like everything goes your way," Van Ginkel shared.

From a plethora of angles, it was a masterpiece designed by Brian Flores and enacted by all-11 defenders.

"We've won a variety of different ways, but our defense was phenomenal," Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell said afterward. " 'Flo' [and] his staff, all of our players — Harrison Smith, was phenomenal.

"I think these guys have learned just the power of what they built within our building, culturally, to be able to be where we were — and now to have a chance to go on and next week to finish above .500 in what's been a difficult season," O'Connell continued proudly. "We've all learned a lot about ourselves."

Goff was held under 200 yards passing for the second time in 2025. He finished 18-for-29 (62.1 percent) with 197 yards, a touchdown and two picks — courtesy Smith and cornerback Byron Murphy, Jr., who snared his second of the season, like the defense's iconic leader, and his second in as many appearances.

Goff's 64.9 passer rating was his worst since Week 2 last season and emphasized the upside-down holiday he was subjected to: hits, hurries and sacks — and not the ones full of toys from Santa Claus.

Smith, Van Ginkel and Blake Cashman spearheaded the efforts to make Detroit one-dimensional. The Lions run game maintained a walking pace, and superstar Jahmyr Gibbs was erased; he toted the rock 17 times for 41 yards (2.3 avg.) with a long of 8, equal to his counterpart David Montgomery, who turned 10 attempts into 25 yards; and aside from an outlier TD drive in the second quarter, Detroit lacked balance.

Cashman credited Smith's ability to mess with the Lions pre-snap and make them pay post-snap.

"Just with the defensive performance we had, with how the game situationally started to play out, we had to be quick with our communication and checking plays at the line of scrimmage," said Cashman, who improved his most tackles in a game in two seasons with the Vikings to 17. "He did a fabulous job."

While it didn't divert the Vikings, the one Lions jaunt for points in the first half was an absolute doozy:

• Van Ginkel sacked Goff for a loss of 6 on first down
• Goff pitter-pattered his feet on third-and-16 against a 3-man rush and found Isaac TeSlaa for 28
• Smith showed pressure and timed a jump to bat down a second-and-9 pass at the LOS
• Amon-Ra St. Brown secured a catch for 13 to keep the drive alive on third-and-9
• Smith sniffed out a screen to St. Brown on second down at Minnesota's 30, good for a 5-yard loss
• A third-and-15 blitz forced Goff off his spot; he escaped right and floated one to St. Brown for 23
• Van Ginkel bear-hugged St. Brown short of the sticks as soon as he caught it at the Vikings 3
• Detroit went for it on fourth-and-1 and was credited with just enough yardage on a rush from Montgomery; O'Connell challenged the spot of the ball, but the ruling wound up standing
• The defense swarmed the offense on first- and third-down runs, stopping Montgomery for losses
• On fourth-and-goal from the Vikings 4, Goff stood tall and whipped a fastball to TeSlaa, who had to elevate to bring in a TD catch with Cashman and Smith sandwiching him in the end zone

Nineteen plays, 80 yards and 10:08 time of possession — it was something all right. But the bending didn't break Minnesota's defense. It actually felt like it served as inspiration to finish what was started.

Safety Theo Jackson notched his first career sack on Detroit's second series of the second half, and then Gink' pressured Goff into throwing a prayer to TeSlaa on third-and-18, which Murphy picked off without a problem. That turnover led to a 52-yard field goal by Will Reichard, breaking a 7-all tie. And on the very next series Smith undercut a pass intended for St. Brown, setting up Minnesota's offense at the Lions 42.

The takeaway spree continued at the top of the fourth quarter, when Dallas Turner and Van Ginkel met at the QB like the glorious Vikings defenders of old and forced a fumble that Jalen Redmond covered up.

Although that action didn't amount to points, it reinforced the message to Detroit: drop back with discretion against a locked-in pass rush that has tallied multiple sacks in 14 of 16 games this season.

Eventually, Detroit drew within three points (13-10) thanks to a 48-yard field goal from Jake Bates, but then the Vikings offense responded with an epic game-sealing end-around that Jordan Addison housed 65 yards.

Van Ginkel's second fumble recovery on an aborted snap with 3:08 left returned the defense to the benches and prompted the home crowd to explode when Smith was shown blowing kisses on the video boards. It was a worthy moment for a player whose impact is so widespread it's impossible to articulate.

"Man, that's the leader, man," Van Ginkel expressed.

"You can't put enough words around that. He's special," Van Ginkel continued, touting Smith's knowledge of the game and his knack for seeing things before they unfold. "A great friend, a great mentor for me. He's 1-of-1. I mean, you see him have a day like that, it's cool. I can't put it into words."

Cashman added: "It's a privilege and an honor to play with a guy that's going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. There's so much you can learn from an individual like that. It goes so much farther and beyond the football field. Harry's a special guy, and I'm so grateful that I've got the time that I've had with him."

Cashman agreed it was neat witnessing Smith wear his heart on his sleeve a bit more than normal.

"I like when you get to catch Harry showing a little emotion," he noted. "That's a cool moment for him and a cool moment for his family, as well, just because of the long-lasting history. Harrison Smith's name is going to live a long time in Viking's history. Honestly, forever. The legacy he's built here, it's so special."