The Detroit Lions defeated the Minnesota Vikings 31-9 in the final game of the NFL regular season on Sunday, capturing both the NFC North title and the conference’s top seed.
Detroit will have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs after a first-round bye.
Running back Jahmyr Gibbs played for the Lions on Sunday. He totaled 139 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, along with 31 yards receiving and another score through the air.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff, meanwhile, completed 27 of 33 passes for 231 yards and a score, plus two interceptions.
Vikings signal-caller Sam Darnold struggled. He completed just 18 of his 41 attempts, throwing for just 166 yards with no touchdowns.
‘SNF’ Blog: A look back at how the game played out
Minnesota’s offense particularly struggled in the red zone. In four trips inside the Detroit 20-yard line, the Vikings scored just six points. Twice they failed to convert on 4th and goal from inside the 5.
The game was a defensive battle in the first half, with the teams combining for just one touchdown. After Gibbs scored in the first quarter, the Vikings cut the lead to 7-6 with two field goals in the second quarter. The Lions made it 10-6 at the end of the first half with a basket of their own.
The second half was all Detroit. After a Goff interception on the team’s first drive of the second quarter, he led the Lion to a touchdown on three straight possessions. During that span, Minnesota made a field goal, missed another and scored two scores.
The Lions finished the regular season 15-2, a three-win improvement from last year’s 12-5 campaign. Detroit reached the NFC Championship Game a season ago, but lost on the road to the San Francisco 49ers. This year, the Lions won’t have to play away in the playoffs unless they make the Super Bowl.
The loss is bitter for the Vikings. Despite improving its record by seven wins from last season – going from 7-10 to 14-3 – Minnesota will have to open the playoffs on the road. Darnold, despite his struggles on Sunday, was a revelation. Starting in place of injured rookie JJ McCarthy, he threw 35 touchdowns.
The Vikings will open their playoff schedule on January 13 against the Los Angeles Rams.
Detroit will have a week off while waiting for its opponent.
Around the NFL The wild card round is official for next weekend:
- No. 5 Los Angeles Chargers vs. No. 4 Houston Texans (4:30 p.m. ET Saturday)
- No. 6 Pittsburgh Steelers vs. No. 3 Baltimore Ravens (8 p.m. ET Saturday)
- No. 7 Denver Broncos at 2. Buffalo Bills (1 p.m. ET Sunday)
- No. 7 Green Bay Packers vs. No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles (4:30 p.m. ET Sunday)
- No. 6 Washington Commanders vs. No. 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8 p.m. ET Sunday)
- No. 5 Minnesota Vikings vs. No. 4 Los Angeles Rams (8 p.m. ET Jan. 13)
The Lions and Kansas City Chiefs, No. 1 seeds in the NFC and AFC, respectively, will benefit from first-round byes.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the AFC South with a 27-19 victory over the New Orleans Saints. They got a strong performance from receiver Mike Evans, who finished with nine receptions for 89 yards. It was his 11th straight season with at least 1,000 receiving yards, tying the legendary Jerry Rice.
The Denver Broncos qualified for the playoffs after a 38-0 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs (who rested most of the starters with the No. 1 seed assured). Rookie quarterback Bo Nix was impressive with 321 passing yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. He became the first rookie quarterback in history with multiple games of at least 300 passing yards, four touchdown passes and a passer rating of 140 or higher.
The New York Jets beat the Miami Dolphins 32-20 in what could have been Aaron Rodgers’ final game. He came out swinging, throwing four touchdowns, for 503 regular season touchdown passes in his career. He became the fifth player in NFL history with more than 500 touchdown passes in the regular season, joining Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning and Brett Favre.
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