Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell brings intensity to every game.
As for Sunday night’s matchup between the Lions and 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 fairytale stuff.”
The stakes are clear for the latest game in a longtime rivalry between NFC North foes Detroit (14-2) and visiting Minnesota (14-2).
The winning team will seize the top seed, a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs. The losing team will earn a wild-card berth and begin the postseason on the road against the Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Atlanta Falcons.
The Lions and Vikings took much different paths to the regular-season finale.
Detroit reached the NFC championship game last season and led by 17 points at halftime against the San Francisco 49ers on the road. But the Lions faltered in the second half and lost 34-31 to the 49ers to miss out on a chance to reach the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history.
This year, Detroit surged to a 12-1 record to start the season and has been one of the top teams in the NFL for months. Both Lions’ losses — a 20-16 setback against Tampa Bay and a 48-42 defeat at the hands of the Buffalo Bills — came by single digits.
Campbell knows that a No. 1 playoff seed could help to prevent a repeat from last season’s heartbreaking road loss in the conference title game. The Lions also have been hit by recent injuries, and a bye could provide an important extra week for players to rest and heal.
“You come out of that game and feel like, what gives you the best odds to where the ultimate (goal) is, which is as we all know what the prize is, and that’s the Super Bowl,” Campbell said, reflecting on last year’s playoff loss at San Francisco. “You try to set yourself up the best you can, and that’s why you put those goals out there.
“So, yeah, it’s been there for a while. Certainly, this is something we want to do and we’ve had in our minds — division and one seed and all that, and it’s right there in our hands.”
Meanwhile, Minnesota entered the season as a longshot to win the division, let alone make a deep run in the playoffs. The Vikings went 7-10 a year ago and parted ways with veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins, who signed as a free agent with Atlanta.
In Cousins’ place, the Vikings signed Sam Darnold to a one-year contract as a possible reclamation project. They also drafted JJ McCarthy out of Michigan in the first round.
McCarthy sustained a season-ending knee injury in the preseason. Darnold took full control of the offense and never looked back.
In 16 starts, Darnold has passed for 4,153 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said Darnold deserves praise for his excellence 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 is responsible for getting himself to where Sam has gotten himself to.”
Darnold said he was excited to take the field with his teammates on Sunday night. The Vikings are riding a nine-game winning streak and have not lost since Oct. 24 against the Rams.
“I will say this: It’s fun,” Darnold said. “That’s really all it is. Just having a ton of fun playing football right now. Whatever happened last week and the week before that, it doesn’t matter right now. All that matters is this game and this opportunity, and that’s all I’m thinking about.”
Justin Jefferson is Darnold’s top target with 100 catches for 1,479 yards and 10 touchdowns. Aaron Jones leads the ground attack with 1,093 rushing yards and five scores.
For Detroit, Jared Goff has also shined 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 showdown also features an intriguing head-to-head challenge between two of the more respected assistants in the NFL — Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
The teams last met in Week 7, when the Lions held on for a 31-29 win in Minneapolis. Goff threw for two touchdowns and Gibbs rushed for two more.
–Field Level Media
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