It wasn’t a winner-takes-all game on Sunday, but the Detroit Lions had to approach it as if it were. Yes, they would have stayed in the driver’s seat to win the NFC South even with a Christmas Eve loss to the Minnesota Vikings, but these Lions knew there was no benefit to letting Minnesota stay alive for another week in the division race.
Related: NFL overview: Lions continue to beat Vikings for first division title since 1993
It is to their credit that the Vikings did not make it easy for the Lions. Minnesota briefly took a 21-17 lead early in the third quarter before Detroit quarterback Jared Goff found Amon-Ra St Brown for a touchdown to put them ahead. Point after attempt, however, the Vikings successfully blocked Michael Badgely’s kick for an extra point.
This seemed like a minor detail at the time, especially after Jahmyr Gibbs ran in for the touchdown that extended Detroit’s lead to nine points. That’s when things got pretty shaky for the Lions. First, the Vikings cut the lead to six with a field goal. On the game’s final drive, Minnesota quarterback Nick Mullens led his team all the way to Detroit’s 30-yard line as the clock ticked down. That failed point-after attempt allowed the Vikings to end the game here without even having to execute a two-point conversion.
Maybe this is how the game would have gone in previous Lions seasons. When you’re a franchise that’s never made it to the Super Bowl, you’re used to small mishaps turning into major disasters. This season it was the other team that made the crucial mistake. Mullens’ often erratic throw ended up in the hands of Detroit cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu for his fourth (and most painful) interception of the game. The Lions held on to win 30-24, improving their record to 11-4.
Melifonwu’s interception was literally historic. With the win, the Lions clinched the NFC North for the first time ever. The last time they won the division was in 1993, when they were still in the NFC Central. As the broadcasters noted, it was before Goff was even alive. Sunday’s victory over the Vikings means Ford Field in Detroit will host a postseason for the first time in its history. The Lions have long been one of the unluckiest NFL franchises. In their existence they have played a total of twenty play-off games. More often than not, their “big game” of the year comes in November, when they play on Thanksgiving and usually lose.
“This is special,” head coach Dan Campbell said after the game. “It’s something you can’t always do.”
Campbell should know. In his freshman year, the Lions finished with a 3-13-1 record. The Lions started their next season with a 1-6 mark. Since then, however, they have been one of the best regular season teams in the league.
Of course, neither he nor the Lions can afford to rest now. There’s still more work to be done in Detroit: Technically the top player in the NFC is still in play, though that would depend on the San Francisco 49ers losing. Sticking with the second seed seems a more reasonable expectation. However, that’s all just postseason positioning. The real goal will be to accomplish something they haven’t done since 1991 and only once in 66 years: winning a play-off game. Stay tuned.
MVP of the week
Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets. Breece Hall did it all for the New York Jets on Sunday, turning in a 95-yard rushing performance with two touchdowns in addition to 96 receiving yards. It turned out the Jets needed him for a big game as their defense blew a 20-point lead to the Washington Commanders at halftime. The Jets ultimately won 30-28 on a Greg Zuerlein field goal, but it shouldn’t have come down to that.
Statistic of the week
Three. After Sunday’s 265-yard performance against the Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper has now had 200-yard games with three separate franchises. Cooper had previously accomplished this with the then-Oakland Raiders and the Dallas Cowboys. The only other player to accomplish this was Terrell Owens, who also did it with the Cowboys, along with the Cincinnati Bengals and San Francisco 49ers.
Cooper, who also set a franchise record in receiving yards, was a big part of the Browns’ 36-22 win over the Texans. He caught two of QB Joe Flacco’s three touchdown passes as the Browns improved their record to 10–5, nearly guaranteeing them a playoff spot.
Video of the week
It was immediately clear that it wasn’t going to be the Dallas Cowboys’ day after their first drive of the game ended in a fumble in the end zone. Although the Cowboys were able to take a one-point lead late, they gave Miami just enough time to make a game-winning field goal. The Dolphins won by a final score of 22-20, meaning the Cowboys’ inability to convert field position into points early in the game ultimately came back to bite them.
The Dolphins improved their record to 11-4, which guaranteed them a playoff spot and put them in prime position to win the AFC East. The 10-5 Cowboys have now lost consecutive games and squandered a golden opportunity to at least briefly battle the reeling Philadelphia Eagles for first place in the NFC East.
Elsewhere in the competition
• In place of the injured Kenny Pickett on Saturday, backup QB Mason Rudolph led the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 34-11 romp against the Cincinnati to boost their chances of making the playoffs while boosting the Bengals’ chances to be reduced significantly. While it probably wasn’t enough to spark a quarterback controversy in Pittsburgh, Rudolph’s surprisingly efficient performance means the Steelers won’t feel pressured to bring Pickett back from his ankle sprain unless he’s fully healthy .
• The Buffalo Bills’ impressive run continued Saturday, though it might be too late to prevent the 11-4 Miami Dolphins from clinching the AFC East. After their 24-22 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, the Bills have won four of their last five games and improved their record to 9-6. While their most likely route to the postseason will be via the wild card, their wins over the Kansas City Chiefs and the Dallas Cowboys have shown that they can be a very dangerous playoff team and perhaps even a Super Bowl team with a dark horse.
• The 7-8 Green Bay Packers are technically still alive in the NFC wild-card hunt after their 33-30 win over the Carolina Panthers. Meanwhile, the Panthers’ record is now a league-worst 2-13. That’s bad news for them, but great news for the Chicago Bears, who retain their first-round draft pick. At least Carolina QB Bryce Young had a solid game, throwing for two touchdowns and 312 yards in the loss.
• If the Chicago Bears end up getting the top pick in the 2024 draft, these remaining games could determine whether they move on at quarterback from Justin Fields or not. Fields put up good but not standout numbers in Chicago’s 27-16 win over the Arizona Cardinals, throwing for 170 yards and rushing for 97 while grabbing a touchdown both in the air and on the ground.
• The Seattle Seahawks also remain alive in the crowded NFC wild-card race, as they improved their record to 8-7 after a 20-17 victory over the already eliminated Tennessee Titans. This gives Seattle an identical record to the Los Angeles Rams, who hold the tiebreaker between the two teams. It seems like this won’t be decided until the final week, which is exactly what the NFL wants.
Although Fox Sports analyst Terry Bradshaw wasn’t happy with Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith’s decision to bench Desmond Ridder at quarterback in favor of Taylor Heinicke, the move paid off on Sunday. Against the Indianapolis Colts, Heinicke went 23-for-33, throwing for 229 yards and a touchdown in the 29-10 victory. The 7-8 Falcons technically remain alive in the playoff hunt, although they will need some help.
• The 7-6 Denver Broncos, playing at home against a three-win New England Patriots team, had a great chance to improve their playoff chances Sunday night. However, the Patriots’ offense unexpectedly exploded with 20 points in the third quarter, while their defense kept the Broncos’ offense at negative yardage. Denver managed to tie the game late in the fourth, but saw its postseason hopes largely vanish after much-maligned Patriots kicker Chad Ryland, who missed two kicks on the night, with two seconds left scored a 56-yard field goal.