Lions vs. Vikings Preview

After 17 weeks of electrifying NFL football, the race for the top seed in the NFC has come down to one game. The Lions and Vikings will face off at Ford Field on Sunday night. The winner will earn a first-round bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs, while the loser will take the fifth seed. These two division rivals could not be more different in their path to this point, but that won’t matter on Sunday. Here’s a full Lions vs. Vikings preview, with deep dives into each team:

Detroit Lions

After decades of mediocrity, the Detroit Lions have set themselves on an upward trajectory over the last few seasons. After a close loss in the NFC championship game last season, they entered 2024 with a Super Bowl victory well within their sights. At times, Detroit has looked dominant this season. The Lions rank second in the league in total yards per game, led by an elite rushing attack and an efficient passing game. They’ve averaged 33.3 points per game, which is more than any team has averaged in a season since 2018.

Detroit’s defense has been marked by some of the worst injury luck in recent history. Key starters like Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNiel, Alex Anzalone, and Carlton Davis III have all landed on the injured reserve. In their absence, the Lions’ defense has performed near league average. Detroit has given up 20.8 points per game this year. 

Minnesota Vikings

While the Lions entered the season as known contenders, the Minnesota Vikings had low expectations. After letting Kirk Cousins walk in free agency and seeing rookie J.J. McCarthy suffer a season-ending injury, Minnesota looked to career journeyman Sam Darnold to take over the starting quarterback position. Darnold, along with the rest of the Vikings’ offense, has outperformed expectations. The Vikings are a top-ten offense in the league by most metrics, scoring 26.4 points per game.

Minnesota’s true strength is in their defense’s ability to create chaos. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores uses versatile edge players like Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel to bring innovative looks that confuse opposing quarterbacks. The Vikings are allowing just 18.8 points per game this year, which ranks fourth in the NFL.

Keys to the Game

When these two teams met earlier this year, the Lions emerged victorious in a close game. In that matchup, Detroit running back Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 116 yards and two touchdowns, including a 45-yard score. With David Montgomery injured, Gibbs will carry the load in the running game for the Lions. The Vikings will need to limit Gibbs’ explosive running ability to win this game.

Lions’ quarterback Jared Goff threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns with only three incompletions in Detroit’s last matchup with Minnesota. The Vikings’ defense thrives off of forcing quarterbacks to make mistakes. They currently lead the NFL in interceptions this season with 22. Goff will need to limit turnovers in order to help earn the Lions the victory.

For more from Michael Haney, check out The Football Ranker