On Jan. 5, the Detroit Lions finished off the 24-25 NFL regular season with a 31-9 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football. This game was the most important of the season for both teams as the winner would win the National Football Conference (NFC) North division and the right to the one seed in the playoffs. The one seed means that the Lions don’t play in the Wild Card (first) round and also get to play at their home stadium until the Super Bowl, (if they make it) which is played at a neutral site.
The Lions came into the game with the betting line at -3 meaning that they were favored by only three points so it was expected the game would be close. This was the first time in NFL history that two teams with 14 wins were facing each other in the regular season since the Lions and Vikings are long-time division rivals. With all of these factors, many fans expected this to be one of the best games of the season.
The game started a little slow with both of the teams having their first drives stall but towards the end of the first quarter Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit’s Pro Bowl running back, ran in a 25-yard touchdown. In the second quarter, both teams were slow on offense again with the Vikings scoring two field goals and the Lions ending the first half with a field goal after a quick, 20-second drive to get into field goal range.
The second half started with the Vikings getting the ball and driving down the field for another field goal which they scored with nine minutes and 55 seconds left to go in the third quarter. Then, Jared Goff, the Lion’s star quarterback led the Lions offense down the field on a seven minute, 25-second drive that ended with Jahmyr Gibbs catching a 10-yard pass for a touchdown. It was now 17-9, and the Lions would have a chance to pull away if they stopped the Vikings on their next drive.
The Vikings failed to score again for the remainder of the game and the Lions ended up winning 31-9 with Jahmyr Gibbs scoring two more touchdowns and having his most dominant game of the season. This win secured the number one seed in the NFC which also gives them a bye week. This was greatly needed by the Lions as they have lost many players to injuries over the course of the year including running back David Montgomery, defensive end Aiden Hutchinson, cornerbacks Emmanuel Mosley, Carlton Davis III, and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. Additionally, there have been others on and off the field throughout the season.
The Lions will be playing the Washington Commanders on Jan. 18. The Commanders are the six seed and the Lions are currently predicted to win by 5.5 points.
