By Colton Pouncy, Alec Lewis and Mark Puleo
In perhaps the highest-stakes Week 18 matchup in NFL history, the Detroit Lions rolled the Minnesota Vikings 31-9 to lock up the No. 1 seed in the NFC and win the NFC North. With the loss, the Vikings settled for the undesirable distinction of having the most wins for a wild-card team in league history.
The highly anticipated season finale got off to a slow start as the explosive offenses traded punts and penalty-stunted drives to open the game. Then, on the Lions’ second drive, Dan Campbell, well, Dan Campbell-ed, and Detroit cashed in.
Facing a fourth-and-5 from the Vikings’ 39-yard line, Campbell kept his offense on the field, leading to a clutch 14-yard connection from Jared Goff to Jameson Williams. On the next play, Jahmyr Gibbs sprinted 25 yards up the middle to kick off the scoring, and the Lions never relinquished that lead.
The Vikings had plenty of scoring chances, but settled for two field goals after reaching the red zone on four consecutive drives. Their other two drives in that stretch ended on fourth-and-goal incompletions.
After another Minnesota field goal cut the Lions’ lead to one point in the third quarter, the Vikings’ failures to finish drives in the end zone came back to doom them. By the midpoint of the fourth quarter, Detroit’s lead ballooned to 22 points behind three long drives and three more Gibbs touchdowns (one from Goff, two on the ground).
The Lions (15-2) will be rewarded with a first-round bye for their Sunday night victory, while the Vikings (14-3) wind up with the No. 5 seed and will travel to Los Angeles to face the Rams next Monday night.
There’s no understating how massive this win was for Detroit. It is among Campbell’s best as a head coach. Campbell, defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson deserve a ton of credit for how they’ve kept this group together and hunkered down for a win in their biggest game of the season.
A loss would’ve made them the first-ever 14-win wild-card team, forced to travel to the West Coast to face old friend Matthew Stafford and the Rams to begin the playoffs as the No. 5 seed. Instead, they’ve earned home-field advantage in the NFC and some much-needed rest.
Ford Field was downright hostile Sunday evening, so good luck to teams traveling here for a road game. And with so many injuries — including at least two more to defensive tackle Pat O’Connor and cornerback Terrion Arnold — the Lions will need all the extra time they can get. But that’s a topic for another day. On this night, the Lions took care of business. They’ve won their second consecutive NFC North title. The No. 1 seed is theirs. And now, we wait. — Colton Pouncy, Lions beat writer
Gibbs had the game of his life, just when the Lions needed it most.
Playing shorthanded without his running mate David Montgomery for the last few weeks, Gibbs has been nothing short of remarkable with 150 scrimmage yards each of the last two weeks. But he saved his best for last, capping off the regular season with 170 scrimmage yards and a career-high four touchdowns.
In the process, he set a franchise record for touchdowns in a season with 20, and north of 1,900 scrimmage yards. For all the backlash the Lions received when they selected Gibbs 12th in the 2023 NFL Draft, he’s been a force multiplier for Johnson’s offense. The Lions miss Montgomery and will hold out hope for a return, but as long as they have Gibbs, this offense and all of its weapons will be hard to stop in the playoffs. — Pouncy
Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold entered Sunday night’s game on a high. For seven weeks in a row, he had lifted Minnesota’s offense to unforeseen heights. He had been accurate. He had made quick decisions. And he had thrown for 18 touchdowns and two interceptions over that span.
That sharpness did not translate to the biggest stage, as Darnold struggled mightily in Detroit against a blitz-happy Lions team.
Darnold missed throws in the red zone and over the middle. Minnesota reached the red zone four times in the first three quarters and scored only six points. Darnold sailed a pass to Justin Jefferson and missed an open Jordan Addison. His feet bounced around constantly, and his reactions made it seem like he was not seeing the field clearly.
He finished 18-of-41 passing for 166 yards, zero touchdowns and no interceptions. There was, however, a turnover-worthy play in the red zone, a pass nearly picked off by Lions cornerback Amik Robertson. The Vikings’ offensive line’s inability to pick up pressure did Darnold no favors, but in the end, the Vikings’ operation looked too shaky in what would have been a massive victory with the NFC North and No. 1 seed on the line. — Alec Lewis, Vikings beat writer
Brian Flores’ Vikings defense limited the Lions to 10 points in the first half. It gave the Vikings enough chances — three first-half red zone trips, to be exact — but the dam broke in the second half. Gibbs, specifically, torched the Vikings in the second half. His speed and versatility wore down a Vikings defense full of veterans.
Minnesota turned Goff over twice. In the first half, defensive back Josh Metellus tipped a pass, and linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. snagged it. In the second half, Goff launched a deep ball that was caught impressively by safety Harrison Smith. The two extra possessions did not matter in the end. Flores’ defense hung on as long as it could, but the further the score extended, the tougher it became for the defense not to tire out. — Lewis
The Vikings faced adversity this season when they lost in back-to-back games to the Lions and Rams in Week 7 and Week 8. They responded with nine straight victories.
This degree of difficulty will be extreme, though. Rather than earning a bye and playing at U.S. Bank Stadium in the playoffs, the Vikings must travel to Los Angeles — a team that beat them 30-20 in Week 8 — and play Monday night in the wild-card round against the Rams. Because they’re the No. 5 seed, they’re then likely to have to go on the road elsewhere, if they are to win. — Lewis
(Photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
