The Detroit Lions clinched the top seed in the NFC after beating the Minnesota Vikings 31-9 in the final game of the NFL regular season.
Detroit and Minnesota were both 14-2 going into the game and each team needed to win to get the top seed and a bye week for the first round of the playoffs.
Hear from Lions head coach Dan Campbell after the win in the video below
The Lions defense had one of its best games of the season, stopping the Vikings multiple times in the red zone and on fourth down, only allowing nine points through the fourth quarter.
Jahmyr Gibbs also scored four touchdowns in the game for the Lions – three rushing and one receiving. He set the Lions single-season record for total touchdowns this season.
Both defenses were the talk of the first half of what was expected to be a high-scoring game. Both teams traded punts before the Lions got on the board first with a nine-play, 78-yard touchdown drive.
The Vikings and Lions traded punts again but then the Lions stopped the Vikings in the red zone as they turned the ball over on downs.
A Jared Goff interception gave the Vikings the ball back in the red zone, but the defense was unable to get a touchdown and the Vikings settled for a field goal.
The Lions turned the ball over on downs again and the Vikings added a field goal, but heading near the end of the first half, the Vikings kicked the ball out of bounds. Two quick passes from Jared Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown and Kalif Raymond got the ball close enough for Jake Bates to kick a 48-yard field goal and give the Lions a 10-6 lead at the half.
Hear from Lions DL Al-Quadin Muhammad after the win in the video below
The start of the second half was much of the same, until midway through the third quarter, the Lions went 70 yards on 13 plays ending with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Goff to Gibbs.
Minnesota missed a field goal after six plays, giving the Lions the ball back at the 41-yard line. Detroit went 59 yards and Gibbs had a 13-yard touchdown run, giving Detroit a 24-9 lead early in the fourth.
Detroit's defense stepped up again, holding the Vikings to a five-play drive that resulted in a punt. Then, Detroit went seven plays and 74 yards, getting the Vikings to take a neutral zone infraction penalty on fourth down that gave them a first down. Gibbs then went four yards for his fourth touchdown and the lead increased 31-9.
The Lions will now have next week off and will have home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Lions will face the lowest seed remaining after Wild Card weekend during the divisional round.
Here are the rankings in the NFC
- Detroit Lions
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Los Angeles Rams
- Minnesota Vikings
- Washington Commanders
- Green Bay Packers
Below is the schedule for the divisional round – the Lions first playoff game of 2024-25.
Saturday, Jan. 18
- 4:30 p.m. ET
- 8:15 p.m. ET
Sunday, Jan. 19
- 3 p.m. ET
- 6:30 p.m. ET
