The Detroit Lions overpowered the Minnesota Vikings in a 31-9 beatdown on “Sunday Night Football” to clinch the top seed and a first-round bye in the NFC.
Here are five takeaways from the regular season finale:
NFC runs through Detroit
After dismantling the Vikings on Sunday night, the road to the Super Bowl runs through the Motor City after the Lions claimed back-to-back NFC North titles.
Despite QB Jared Goff’s two interceptions, Detroit was balanced in all phases. With six catches for 77 yards, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown became the third player in NFL history to have 115+ receptions and 10+ receiving TDs in consecutive seasons.
The Lions’ defense came to play as well. Including Week 18, Minnesota is averaging 25.4 PPG, good for ninth in the league according to StatMuse. Detroit held it to a season-low nine points.
Detroit flexed its muscle and showed what the rest of the NFC is in for during the postseason.
Vikings blow opportunity, hit the road for Super Wild Card Weekend
Even with 14 wins and a nine-game winning streak before Sunday night’s loss, the Vikings will head to SoFi Stadium to face the fourth-seed Los Angeles Rams on Super Wild Card Weekend.
The game will be a rematch of a Week 8 meeting, won by the Rams, 30-20. Minnesota only went 2-of-4 in the red zone and committed nine penalties for 50 yards in that loss.
If the Vikings are going to avenge their only loss to a team other than Detroit this season, those two areas will have to be improved, as will the efficiency of QB Sam Darnold after a miserable performance on Sunday.
Vikings have brutal night in red zone
With the pressure on to clinch the NFC North and a first-round bye, the Vikings could not deliver in the red zone when it mattered most.
On Sunday night, the Vikings were 0-of-4 in the red zone. This fourth down stop from Detroit kept the Lions in front, 10-6, early in the third quarter.
Minnesota had gone 68 yards in 3:02 to start the second half before the stop. In the first half, the Vikings turned the ball over on downs and had to settle for a pair of field goals in the red zone.
The Vikings could not find the end zone despite several opportunities throughout the night.
Jahmyr Gibbs has night to remember
Although the loss of RB David Montgomery to an MCL injury in his left knee appeared to be costly to the Lions, Gibbs has taken to his increased role incredibly well.
This four-yard rush with 5:14 left put the Lions up 31-9 and gave the second-year player out of Alabama his fourth TD of the game.
Gibbs’ 20 total TDs this season are a franchise record. He joins Barry Sanders as the only running backs in team history to record four TDs in a single game.
Gibbs had 23 carries for 139 yards and four TDs (one receiving). This was his fifth game of the season with 100 or more rushing yards, which is the most by a Lions player since Sanders in 1997.
Gibbs’ performance on Sunday night was simply sensational.
Sam Darnold was seeing ghosts again
Coming into Week 18, Darnold had career-bests in passing yards (4,153) and TDs (35). It was the complete opposite for him on Sunday night.
The Lions held Darnold to 18-of-41 for 166 yards. According to Kevin Seifert of ESPN, Darnold had eight overthrows by the midway point of the game, which was the second-most he has had in a game in his career. The only game he was worse was in Week 7 of 2019 vs. the Patriots while he was with the Jets. Darnold had 12 in that game.
Darnold has been impressive throughout the 2024 season. Sunday night was not one of his better outings, to say the least.