The Detroit Lions beat the Minnesota Vikings 31-9 in the final game of the NFL regular season on Sunday, clinching both the NFC North title and first place in the conference.
Detroit will have home field advantage during the playoffs after a first-round bye.
Running back Jahmyr Gibbs was the star for the Lions on Sunday. He had 139 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, along with 31 yards receiving and another score in the air.
Meanwhile, Lions quarterback Jared Goff completed 27 of 33 passes for 231 yards and a touchdown, along with two interceptions.
Vikings playmaker 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 match unfolded
Minnesota’s offense struggled especially in the red zone. In four trips inside Detroit’s 20-yard line, the Vikings scored just six points. Twice they failed to convert on fourth-and-goal from inside the fifth.
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 when the first half expired with a field goal 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 consecutive possessions. In that time, Minnesota scored one field goal, missed another and punted while trailing two points.
The Lions finished the regular season 15-2, a three-win improvement over 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 on the road in the playoffs unless they make the Super Bowl.
The loss is bitter for the Vikings. Despite improving its record by seven wins compared to last season (going from 7-10 to 14-3), Minnesota will have to open the postseason on the road. Darnold, despite his struggles Sunday, was a revelation. Starting in place of injured rookie JJ McCarthy, he threw for 35 touchdowns.
The Vikings will open their playoff schedule on January 13 against the Los Angeles Rams.
Detroit will have a week to rest while it waits for its opponent.
Around the NFL The wild card round is official for next weekend:
- No. 5 Los Angeles Chargers at No. 4 Houston Texans (4:30 p.m. ET Saturday)
- The No. 6 Pittsburgh Steelers at the No. 3 Baltimore Ravens (8 p.m. ET Saturday)
- No. 7 Denver Broncos at 2. Buffalo Bills (1 p.m. ET on Sunday)
- The No. 7 Green Bay Packers at the No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles (4:30 p.m. ET on Sunday)
- No. 6 Washington Commanders vs. No. 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8 p.m. ET on Sunday)
- The No. 5 Minnesota Vikings at No. 4 Los Angeles Rams (8 p.m. ET Jan. 13)
The Lions and the Kansas City Chiefs, first in the NFC and the AFC, respectively, will have a bye in the first round.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the AFC South with a 27-19 victory against the New Orleans Saints. They got a big performance from receiver Mike Evans, who finished with nine receptions for 89 yards. It was his 11th consecutive season with at least 1,000 receiving yards, tying him with legendary receiver Jerry Rice.
The Denver Broncos made the playoffs after a 38-0 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs (who were resting most of the starters with the first seed secured). 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 defeated the Miami Dolphins 32-20 in what could have been Aaron Rodgers’ last game. He came out strong, throwing four touchdowns, for 503 career regular season touchdown passes. 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.
