The Detroit Lions overpowered the Minnesota Vikings in a 31-9 beatdown on “Sunday Evening Soccer” to clinch the highest seed and a first-round bye within the NFC.
Listed here are 5 takeaways from the common season finale:
NFC runs by means of Detroit
After dismantling the Vikings on Sunday night time, the highway to the Tremendous Bowl runs by means of the Motor Metropolis after the Lions claimed back-to-back NFC North titles.
Regardless of QB Jared Goff’s two interceptions, Detroit was balanced in all phases. With six catches for 77 yards, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown grew to become the third player in NFL history to have 115+ receptions and 10+ receiving TDs in consecutive seasons.
The Lions’ protection got here to play as properly. Together with Week 18, Minnesota is averaging 25.4 PPG, good for ninth within the league according to StatMuse. Detroit held it to a season-low 9 factors.
Detroit flexed its muscle and confirmed what the remainder of the NFC is in for throughout the postseason.
Vikings blow alternative, hit the highway for Tremendous Wild Card Weekend
Even with 14 wins and a nine-game profitable streak earlier than Sunday night time’s loss, the Vikings will head to SoFi Stadium to face the fourth-seed Los Angeles Rams on Tremendous Wild Card Weekend.
The sport might be a rematch of a Week 8 assembly, received by the Rams, 30-20. Minnesota solely went 2-of-4 within the purple zone and dedicated 9 penalties for 50 yards in that loss.
If the Vikings are going to avenge their solely loss to a workforce aside from Detroit this season, these two areas should be improved, as will the effectivity of QB Sam Darnold after a depressing efficiency on Sunday.
Vikings have brutal night time in purple zone
With the strain on to clinch the NFC North and a first-round bye, the Vikings couldn’t ship within the purple zone when it mattered most.
On Sunday night time, the Vikings have been 0-of-4 within the purple zone. This fourth down cease from Detroit saved the Lions in entrance, 10-6, early within the third quarter.
Minnesota had gone 68 yards in 3:02 to begin the second half earlier than the cease. Within the first half, the Vikings turned the ball over on downs and needed to accept a pair of discipline objectives within the purple zone.
The Vikings couldn’t discover the tip zone regardless of a number of alternatives all through the night time.
Jahmyr Gibbs has night time to recollect
Though the lack of RB David Montgomery to an MCL harm in his left knee gave the impression to be pricey to the Lions, Gibbs has taken to his elevated function extremely properly.
This four-yard rush with 5:14 left put the Lions up 31-9 and gave the second-year participant out of Alabama his fourth TD of the sport.
Gibbs’ 20 complete TDs this season are a franchise report. He joins Barry Sanders as the one operating backs in workforce historical past to report 4 TDs in a single sport.
Gibbs had 23 carries for 139 yards and 4 TDs (one receiving). This was his fifth sport of the season with 100 or extra dashing yards, which is essentially the most by a Lions participant since Sanders in 1997.
Gibbs’ efficiency on Sunday night time was merely sensational.
Sam Darnold was seeing ghosts once more
Coming into Week 18, Darnold had career-bests in passing yards (4,153) and TDs (35). It was the exact opposite for him on Sunday night time.
The Lions held Darnold to 18-of-41 for 166 yards. According to Kevin Seifert of ESPN, Darnold had eight overthrows by the halfway level of the sport, which was the second-most he has had in a sport in his profession. The one sport he was worse was in Week 7 of 2019 vs. the Patriots whereas he was with the Jets. Darnold had 12 in that sport.
Darnold has been spectacular all through the 2024 season. Sunday night time was not one in every of his higher outings, to say the least.
