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Lions secure NFC’s No. 1 seed as massive matchup with Vikings turns into rout

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Lions secure NFC’s No. 1 seed as massive matchup with Vikings turns into rout

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (26) celebrates with teammates after scoring one of his four TDs against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday in Detroit. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

At least the Minnesota Vikings will make some history next week. They’ll be the first 14-win wild-card playoff team in NFL history.

There can be complaints about the NFL overemphasizing its divisions, which leads to oddities like the home team having four fewer wins than its road opponent in the wild-card round. But the Vikings knew the stakes for Sunday night’s historic game against the Detroit Lions. The winner is 15-2 and gets the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The other breaks the 1999 Tennessee Titans’ record of 13 wins for a wild-card team, and falls to the fifth seed.

And knowing the stakes, the Vikings came up small. Sam Darnold had a bad game, perhaps his worst of the season. There were questionable coaching decisions and some big special teams errors. Ultimately, the Lions pulled away while not even playing their best, winning the NFC North with a 31-9 win. Jahmyr Gibbs had four touchdowns and the Lions became the ninth team in NFL history to win 15 games in a regular season.

The Lions get to rest. They have wild-card weekend off and they won’t need to go on the road for the NFC playoffs. They need the week off given all their injuries, including cornerback Terrion Arnold, who left Sunday night’s game with a foot injury. The Vikings fall all the way to the No. 5 seed. They’ll play at the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night of wild-card weekend.

The Vikings’ season isn’t over. Those 1999 Titans made a Super Bowl as an overqualified wild-card team. But the path got a lot tougher for the Vikings on Sunday night, and a lot easier for the Lions.

Both teams looked tight to start Sunday night’s game, which was understandable. The stakes were massive.

Mistakes were the story of the first half. Darnold has been excellent all season but missed many passes, most of them high. In one sequence, after a Vikings interception that set them up inside the Lions’ 10-yard line, Darnold missed a wide open Justin Jefferson twice and the Vikings had to settle for a field goal. According to ESPN, Darnold had eight overthrows in the first half, which was the second-most for an entire game in his career.

The Lions seemed to be pressing a bit, too. On fourth-and-inches, Detroit decided to pass it instead of running behind the NFL’s best offensive line, and it was incomplete. The Vikings turned that good field position into a field goal, but then had another error. With 20 seconds left they kicked it out of bounds, giving the Lions the ball at the 20-yard line. Jared Goff hit passes of 19 and 11 yards, one of the rare times the offense showed much explosion in the first half, and that set up a gift field goal as the first half expired.

The Lions led the Vikings 10-6 but neither team played like it had 14 wins entering the day. For such a great matchup, the results weren’t pretty in the first half. At least the Lions snapped out of it in the second half. The Vikings didn’t.

Minnesota’s mistakes didn’t stop when the second half got underway.

The Vikings went for it on a fourth-and-goal in the first half, passing on an easy field goal, and did so again on their first possession of the second half. Both times, Darnold threw incomplete. That was six easy points the Vikings passed on in a close game. But on the next play, Goff threw wildly downfield and Harrison Smith had an easy interception.

The Lions’ offense finally got going on a 13-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a touchdown. Unsurprisingly the Lions went for it on fourth-and-2 and had a nice play call that got Gibbs wide open in the middle for a 10-yard touchdown. The Vikings weren’t out of the game by any means, trailing 17-9 at that point, but they weren’t done tripping all over themselves.

The Vikings missed a field goal late in the third quarter. Early in the fourth quarter, Vikings defensive end Andrew Van Ginkel had a pick-6 in his hands and he dropped it. A few plays later, Gibbs scored his third touchdown of the game and Detroit led 24-9.

The Vikings could go on to win a Super Bowl from a wild-card spot. But if they don’t, they might look back on the huge swing of Van Ginkel dropping an interception that could have tied the game, while instead falling behind by 15 points after Gibbs’ 13-yard touchdown run.

The Lions just had to lean on the Vikings after that. There was one more big mistake. With a little less than six minutes left, the Lions lined up like they would go for it on fourth-and-2. The Vikings jumped offside and the Lions didn’t even have to snap the ball for a first down. Gibbs scored his fourth touchdown shortly after that.

The Vikings had an incredible regular season. They weren’t expected to be in the playoffs, and won 14 games. Darnold established himself as a legitimate starting quarterback. The defense was fantastic. The coaching staff got its due as one of the NFL’s best. And for all of the good things Minnesota did, the reward is a road trip to Los Angeles for a tough road playoff opener.

Live56 updates

  • The Lions are tops in the NFC for 2024

  • The Lions win game No. 272 to end the NFL regular season

  • At the two-minute warning, the Lions lead 31-9

    Detroit is going to be the No. 1 seed in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. It’s one of the oldest teams in the NFL — operating since 1930 — and has been plagued by poor luck for decades, with just two playoff wins since 1991. Now, after a full season of looking like the best — or one of the handful of the best teams in the league — they look like the team to beat

  • Vikings go over on downs with just over four minutes to go

    Minnesota’s bid for a division title is going out with a whimper. Sam Darnold looked like an MVP candidate to begin the season. Tonight, the Lions defense has been spectacular. The line on Darnold tonight: 18-of-41, 166 yards, no TD passes, and the Vikings are 3-of-13 on 3rd down and 0-for-3 on 4th down.

  • FOUR TOUCHDOWNS FOR JAHMYR GIBBS

    Barring a spectacular turnaround, the road to the Super Bowl is going through Detroit in the NFC. Jahmyr Gibbs: 23 carries, 139 yards, three rushing touchdowns, five catches, 31 yards, one receiving touchdown.

    It’s 31-9 with 5:14 to go in the game.

  • This is turning into the Jahmyr Gibbs game

    Forty-seven yards on this run. The Lions are looking the part of the best team in the NFL.

  • Al-Quadin Muhammad gets a 3rd down sack to force a punt

    The swarming Lions defense deserves every accolade they’re getting tonight. The Vikings have less than 250 yards of total offense.

  • Vikings bailed out with another 3rd down penalty

    It’s a first down, but the Lions defense is in control. Twelve players on the defense are on IR, but they’re completely shutting down the Vikings, who have one of the more explosive passing attacks in the NFL with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.

  • Jahmyr Gibbs with a hat trick in the massive Week 18 showdown

    This third TD might have been the best of the bunch, on a 13-yard run. Two tight ends and a fullback, and the Detroit offense has taken over after Gibbs’ 19th touchdown of the season. Lions lead 24-9 with 13:06 to go in the 4th quarter.

  • Sam LaPorta opens the 4th quarter with and 11 yard pickup

    Lions receivers are running wide open here in the second half now. St. Brown and Williams have added receptions on the drive into the red zone. The Lions’ offense is roaring over their last two drives.

  • Jahmyr Gibbs picks up 14 on a first down pass play to end the 3rd quarter

    Jahmyr Gibbs has 22 touches for 88 yards and two touchdowns on an already big night, and he’s picking up steam as the Lions look to close the deal on the Vikings for the NFC North title and the No. 1 seed.

    Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (26) runs for a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Rey Del Rio)Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (26) runs for a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Rey Del Rio)

    Jahmyr Gibbs and the Lions are looking to clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC. (AP/Rey Del Rio)

  • Will Reichard misses from 52

    The red zone failures are looming LARGE for the Vikings, who are in danger of sinking, with the Lions now taking over with excellent field position.

  • Anzalone knocks it away on 3rd down

    The Lions’ linebacker with excellent defense and a pass breakup that was intended for for T.J. Hockensen, and it’ll bring up a 4th down.

  • Lions get in the end zone on 4th down TD pass

    Goff hits Jahmyr Gibbs on the option route and Gibbs sets a new single-season franchise record for touchdowns with his 18th of the year and the Lions are up 17-9.

  • The Lions are on the move

    Four first downs on this drive for the Lions, who are in the red zone looking to add to their lead. This drive also had a 2nd and 19 that the Lions were able to recover from.

  • Another Vikings field goal from Reichard, this one from 51

    An intentional grounding penalty backed the Vikings up, and they got stuck behind the sticks before getting three after the bad Goff turnover. The Detroit defensive line is still dominating the game, but Minnesota is holding its own on defense as well and chipping away slowly.

  • Lions injury updates

    More defensive injuries as DB Terrion Arnold was just carted off the sideline and taken to the locker room after eing unable to put any weight on one leg. Also, defensive lineman Pat O’Connor is dealing with a calf injury.

  • Goff throws a pick on first down

    It’s an arm punt from Goff, but on first down? The Lions went for broke in sudden change, but this is a terrible turnover by the Lions, and the Vikings will take over at their own 46.

  • Vikings go over on downs AGAIN inside the 5-yard-line

    The Vikings have now run 11 plays inside the 5-yard-line and have three points from those three drives. Aaron Glenn and the Lions’ defense are putting on a short yardage masterclass in this game.

  • Jones is out of the locker room

    He made a catch on his first play of the second half to get it to 3rd and Goal at the 2.

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