Lions beat Vikings 31-9, win NFC North and No. 1 seed, dropping division rivals to No. 5
Jahmyr Gibbs scored three of his franchise-record tying four touchdowns in the second half, and the Detroit Lions beat the Minnesota Vikings 31-9 on Sunday night to win their second straight NFC North title and earn home-field advantage until the Super Bowl.
"Everybody's got to come through here, baby!" Detroit defensive end Za'Darius Smith said to the roaring crowd after the game.
The Lions (15-2) and Vikings (14-3) could meet again in two weeks.
Detroit will have a much-needed bye for its banged-up team during the first week of the playoffs while Minnesota plays at the NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams next Monday night.
In the NFL's final game before the playoffs, two teams played in the regular season with a combined 28 victories for the first time. A No. 1 seed was determined in a regular-season finale for the third time in three-plus decades.
Dallas wrapped up the 1993 regular season against the New York Giants with a 16-13 overtime win to give the Cowboys top seeding they used to their advantage as they advanced to and won the Super Bowl. The Giants, meanwhile, beat Minnesota in the wild-card round and were routed at San Francisco the following week.
Detroit desperately hopes history repeats itself. The Lions are seeking their first Super Bowl appearance and hoping to end an NFL championship drought that dates to 1957.
Game No. 272 of the regular season was expected to be a shootout with Pro Bowl quarterbacks leading high-scoring offenses, but Jared Goff and Sam Darnold were not at their best.
Gibbs picked up the slack for his team.
He had 23 carries for 139 yards with a career-high three rushing touchdowns and caught five passes for 31 yards and another score.
Goff threw two interceptions after getting picked off only once in the previous seven games and Minnesota made field goals after the turnovers in the second and third quarters.
After Vikings rookie Will Reichard connected on his third kick to cut the deficit to 10-9 early in the third, Goff directed a 13-play, 70-yard drive that took 7:25 and was capped by a slick pass to Gibbs for a 10-yard touchdown on fourth-and-2.
Goff was 8 of 8 on that possession and finished 27 of 33 for 231 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
Darnold completed fewer than half his passes in the first half, missing opportunities to pick up first downs and score touchdowns. The Vikings were 0 of 3 in the red zone through two quarters to let the Lions lead 10-6 at halftime.
The Vikings went for it on fourth down from the Lions 3 in the second quarter and Darnold, under pressure, overthrew an open Justin Jefferson in the end zone.
Darnold threw another incomplete pass on fourth down from the Detroit 2 early in the third.
Minnesota coach Kevin O'Connell opted to attempt a 51-yard field goal late in the third, trailing by eight, and Reichard missed wide right.
Darnold was 18 of 41, a season-low 44% completion rate, and connected with Jefferson just three times on nine targets for 54 yards.
Injuries
Vikings: OLB Patrick Jones (knee) was inactive.
Lions: LB Alex Anzalone (broken forearm) and punt returner/receiver Kalif Raymond (foot) returned from injuries to play for the first time since November. ... CB Terrion Arnold (foot) and DL Pat O'Connor (Calf) were injured during the game and OG Kevin Zeitler came off the field, holding the back of his right leg late in the game.
Up next
The Vikings visit the Los Angeles Rams as the NFL's first 14-win wild card.
The Lions host a divisional-round game after their first bye since Week 5.
Look below for a full recap of the game.
Lions RB Gibbs scores his 4th touchdown of the game; Detroit leads 31-9
Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs scores a 4-yard rushing touchdown with 5:14 left in the fourth quarter — his fourth touchdown of the game.
The Lions lead the Minnesota Vikings 31-9.
Lions DL O'Connor ruled out for rest of the game
The Detroit Lions have announced defensive lineman Pat O'Connor will not return to the game after suffering a calf injury in the third quarter.
Lions RB Gibbs scores rushing touchdown; Detroit leads 24-9
Detroit Lions running back now has three touchdowns in the game following a 13-yard rush with 13:06 left in the fourth quarter.
The Lions lead the Minnesota Vikings 24-9.
Reichard misses 51-yard field goal for Vikings
Minnesota Vikings kicker Will Reichard misses a 51-yard field goal with 28 seconds left in the third quarter.
The Detroit Lions take over on downs.
Lions RB Gibbs sets single-season franchise record for total touchdowns
Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs' touchdown in the third quarter marked his 18th total touchdown of the season. According to the team, that's a new single-season franchise record
Lions QB Goff throws TD pass to Gibbs; Detroit leads 17-9
The Detroit Lions lead the Minnesota Vikings 17-9 after a 10-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jared Goff to running back Jahmyr Gibbs with 2:30 left in the third quarter.
Lions DL Pat O'Connor questionable to return, team says
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Pat O'Connor is questionable to return after suffering a calf injury in the third quarter.
Vikings K Reichard hits 51-yard field goal; Lions lead 10-9
Vikings kicker Will Reichard scores a 51-yard field goal with 9:55 left in the third quarter.
The Detroit Lions lead the Vikings 10-9.
Lions CB Arnold questionable to return after foot injury
Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold is questionable to return after suffering a foot injury, according to the team.
Arnold was carted to the locker room after limping off the field in the first couple minutes of the third quarter.
Vikings' Smith intercepts a deep pass from Jared Goff
Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith intercepts a deep pass from Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff with 11:50 left in the third quarter.
The Vikings take over at Detroit's 47-yard line.
Lions stop Vikings in the red zone
The Detroit Lions take over on downs at their own 2-yard line with 11:58 left in the third quarter after stopping the Minnesota Vikings in the red zone.
Lions lead Vikings 10-6 at halftime after last-second field goal
Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates kicks a 48-yard field goal as time expires in the second quarter to put the team up 10-6 over the Minnesota Vikings.
Lions hold Vikings to field goal; Detroit leads 7-6
Minnesota Vikings kicker Will Reichard scores a 31-yard field goal with 20 seconds left in the half following a third down defensive stop from the Detroit Lions.
The Lions lead the Vikings 7-6.
Vikings stop Lions near midfield
With 3:37 left in the half, the Minnesota Vikings take over on downs after stopping the Detroit Lions near midfield on fourth-and-1.
Reichard scores field goal for Vikings; Lions lead 7-3
Minnesota Vikings kicker Will Reichard scores a 25-yard field goal with 6:35 left in the second quarter.
The Detroit Lions lead the Vikings 7-3.
Vikings LB Pace intercepts Jared Goff
After a tipped pass, Minnesota Vikings linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. intercepts a pass from Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff deep in the Lions zone.
The Vikings take over on downs at Detroit's 7-yard line with 7:03 left in the second quarter.
Lions RB Gibbs ties franchise record for total touchdowns, team says
Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs scored his 17th overall touchdown of the season towards the end of the first quarter.
According to the team, that ties the single-season franchise record.
Lions RB Gibbs scores for Detroit; Lions lead 7-0
Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs scores the first points of the game with a 25-yard run.
The Lions lead 7-0 with 1:43 left in the first quarter.
Lions, Vikings each go three-and-out on first drive
The Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings each end their first drive with a punt.
There is 7:01 left in the first quarter.
6 Minnesota Vikings make 2025 Pro Bowl Games roster
Six Minnesota Vikings made the roster for the 2025 Pro Bowl Games, the biggest contingent since the 2009 season when Brett Favre nearly led them to the Super Bowl.
Only the Detroit Lions (seven) and Baltimore Ravens (nine) had more players selected this year.
See which Vikings made the Pro Bowl here.
Alex Anzalone, Kalif Raymond active for Lions
The Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings released their list of inactive players around 90 minutes before kickoff.
Linebacker Alex Anzalone and receiver Kalif Raymond, who were activated from injured reserve Saturday, were not on that list and are likely to see action tonight.
Both players have been dealing with injuries since November.
For the Vikings, backup rusher Patrick Jones is inactive, which isn't a surprise as the team listed him as out on Friday's injury report.
Exploring the Detroit Lions' roller coaster journey from failure to success
The Detroit Lions have clinched a playoff spot, with expectations of a deep run regardless of the outcome of Sunday's tilt.
It's been a roller coaster of a journey for the team and its fans over the past few seasons to reach this kind of success.
Tap here to explore the ups and downs that's led to this successful season.