Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell brings intensity to every game.
As for Sunday night’s game between the Lions and the Minnesota Vikings, which will determine the No. 1 seed in the NFC, Campbell knows his adrenaline will be pumping.
“You couldn’t write a better scenario,” Campbell said. “This is the stuff of legend.”
The numbers are clear for the latest game in the long-running rivalry between NFC North rivals Detroit (14-2) and visiting Minnesota (14-2).
The winning team will clinch the top seed, a first-round bye and home field advantage in all playoff games. The losing team will receive a wild card and begin the postseason on the road against the Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Atlanta Falcons.
The Lions and Vikings took different paths to the regular season finale.
Detroit reached the NFC championship game last season and blew a 17-point halftime lead against the San Francisco 49ers on the road. But the Lions lost in the second half and lost 34-31 to the 49ers, missing out on a chance to reach the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history.
This year, Detroit rolled to a 12-1 record to start the season and has been one of the top teams in the NFL for months. Both of the Lions’ losses — a 20-16 setback against Tampa Bay and a 48-42 loss at the hands of the Buffalo Bills — came by single digits.
Campbell knows that the playoff for No. 1 could help prevent a repeat of last season’s heartbreaking road loss in the conference title game. The Lions have also been plagued by injuries of late, and the bye could provide a valuable extra week for players to rest and recover.
“You come out of that game and you feel like, what gives you the best chance of where the end goal is, which as we all know what the prize is, and that’s the Super Bowl,” Campbell said, reflecting on the end. annual playoff loss in San Francisco. “You try to set your best, that’s why you set those goals.
“So, yeah, it’s been around for a while. Definitely, this is something we want to do and we’ve had it in our minds – to break away from one seed and all that, and it’s in our hands.”
Meanwhile, Minnesota entered the season as a long shot to win the division, let alone make a deep run in the playoffs. The Vikings went 7-10 last year and parted ways with veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins, who signed as a free agent with Atlanta.
In place of Cousins, the Vikings signed Sam Darnold to a one-year contract as a rebuilding project. They also drafted JJ McCarthy out of Michigan in the first round.
McCarthy suffered a season-ending knee injury before the season even started. Darnold took complete control of the offense and never looked back.
In 16 starts, Darnold passed for 4,153 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said Darnold deserves credit for his performance this season.
“You can tell a guy what it’s going to be like and you can tell a guy a lot of things,” O’Connell said. “But only the player has the responsibility to take himself to where Sam has reached.”
Darnold said he was excited to get on the field with his teammates Sunday night. The Vikings are riding a nine-game winning streak and have not lost since Oct. 24 against the Rams.
“I’ll say this: It’s fun,” Darnold said. “That’s all it is. Having a ton of fun playing football right now. Whatever happened last week and the week before that, it doesn’t matter right now. What matters is this game and this opportunity, and that’s all I have. I’m thinking about it.”
Justin Jefferson leads Darnold with 100 catches for 1,479 yards and 10 touchdowns. Aaron Jones leads the offense with 1,093 rushing yards and five scores.
In Detroit, Jared Goff also stood out at quarterback with 4,398 yards, 36 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Amon-Ra St. Brown has 109 catches for 1,186 yards and 12 touchdowns, and Jahmyr Gibbs has rushed for 1,273 yards and 13 touchdowns.
The game also features an interesting matchup between two of the most respected assistants in the NFL – Lions coordinator Ben Johnson and Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
The teams last met in Week 7, where the Lions held on 31-29 in Minneapolis. Goff threw for two touchdowns and Gibbs rushed for two more.
–Field Level Media