The NFC's No. 1 seed and NFC North winner has been decided. And it transpired in anticlimactic fashion.
Sunday Night Football concluded the regular season with the Detroit Lions routing the Minnesota Vikings 31-9 at home, with the NFC now running through Ford Field.
It was expected to be a close yet high-scoring game, though Detroit only led 10-6 at halftime. But the Lions, thanks to Jahmyr Gibbs, turned up the heat in the second half to comfortably dispatch their divisional rivals.
Detroit, 15-2, will now get the coveted first-round bye, while Minnesota, despite having 14 wins, will be on the road in the wild card as the No. 5 seed.
Let's analyze the highly anticipated clash further with winners and losers:
WINNER: Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions
He's now dubbed "Sonic" for a reason. Gibbs led the Lions with a four-touchdown night despite not having David "Knuckles" Montgomery by his side. Gibbs became the franchise's single-season touchdown record holder with 20, having rushed in three on 139 ground yards (23 carries) with one receiving score on 31 yards (five catches).
He also joined Lions legend Barry Sanders with this statistic:
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Jahmyr Gibbs’ four touchdowns against the Vikings gives him a NEW franchise record with 20 total this season! 🤯 #OnePride pic.twitter.com/auWXC2JQtv
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) January 6, 2025
Detroit caught flack for drafting Gibbs as high as it did, but the faith has clearly paid off early on.
LOSER: Sam Darnold, Vikings
How much money did Darnold just lose on his next contract? The 27-year-old put up a career regular season, leading many to believe he could be in for a substantial payday having signed just a one-year deal with Minnesota as it drafted J.J. McCarthy in the first round.
But when it mattered most, Darnold reverted to his old ways and didn't look capable of being the elite quarterback Minnesota needed to pull off the road win. He completed just 18 of 41 passes for 166 yards, no touchdowns and no picks.
Darnold will now be under even more scrutiny in the wild card when the Vikings are at Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams.
WINNER: Injuries, who?
The Lions have endured plenty of adversity with mounting injuries, especially to their defense. But defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn put on a masterclass, even after defensive back Terrion Arnold had to be carted off in this game.
Along with Darnold's poor game, Detroit held Justin Jefferson to 54 yards on three catches with nine targets while Cam Akers had 65 yards on six carries anchored by a 58-yarder. Aaron Jones mustered 45 yards on 10 carries.
Detroit will be tested more in the playoffs having allowed 34 points to the heavily injured San Francisco 49ers in Week 17, but it is handling the grind just fine.
LOSER: A dropped pick
Big games are all about capitalizing on turnovers. While Darnold didn't turn the ball over, Jared Goff threw two interceptions that Minnesota failed to convert into points. Ivan Pace Jr. and Harrison Smith hauled in both.
But the biggest one didn't happen. Early in the fourth quarter with Detroit up 17-9, Goff attempted a short screen throw toward Amon-Ra St. Brown that Andrew Van Ginkel jumped perfectly and appeared bound for a game-changing pick-six. However, he couldn't bring it in and immediately regretted it, as it would've provided the Vikings a lifeline.
Instead, Detroit tacked on a Gibbs' 13-yard touchdown three plays later. That drop was the play of the game that Van Ginkel and Minnesota will sit on for a while.
