The battle for the NFC North comes to a head on the final day of the NFL regular season this weekend as the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions square off once again.
The team of Kevin O'Connell and Dan Campbell enters Sunday 14-2 knowing that a win would not only secure the division title, but also secure the top seed in the NFC and a crucial first-round bye in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the loser will settle for the No. 5 seed, which means a tough showdown with the Los Angeles Rams or Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
At the heart of both lies are rookie quarterbacks Jared Goff reviving his career to propel Detroit into contention after being traded by the Rams for Matthew Stafford in 2021, and Sam Darnold being written off among the stories of the 2024 campaign as the running back of the year after he He led a surprising playoff mission following the offseason departure of Kirk Cousins in Minnesota.
“We had research notes sent to us from NFL Network, and they called it the most important regular-season game in NFL history,” said Neil Reynolds of NFL Sky Sports. Inside the assembly.
“These two quarterbacks in terms of passing yards and passing touchdowns since Week 11 are the most prolific in the NFL. Jared Goff is No. 1, Sam Darnold is No. 2, so I think we'll get our points here.
“I'll put it that there might be a difference: Detroit in their last four games has given up 31, 48, 17 and 34 points, most recently a 40-34 win over San Francisco, but even that was a positive because they didn't do that.” I don't need that game and I still won.
“I'm a little concerned. If I was going to trust one defense more, I'd trust Brian Flores and the Vikings. But I think Detroit will find a way. It doesn't matter to Dan Campbell and Jared Goff and those.” “The team is at home, if you score 40 goals, they will score 42 goals.”
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Justin Jefferson made a ridiculous catch but unfortunately it didn't count due to an offensive foul on the play as the Minnesota Vikings take on the Green Bay Packers
The Vikings kept their hopes of securing the No. 1 seed alive last weekend with an impressive win over the Green Bay Packers, marking their ninth straight win. Among their signature components was Brian Flores' high-octane defense that ranked fourth in scoring, second in rushing and first in EPA/played while tied for first with 31 points on the year.
Waiting for them, Detroit's high-octane offense ranks second overall, first in scoring, second in passing, sixth in rushing and third in EPA/play-action.
“The Vikings just came off of that great showing against Green Bay and Matt LaFleur talked about how they weren't prepared for the percentage of man coverage that the Vikings were playing, they're not known for being a man defense team, but 85 percent,” said Phoebe Scheckter of Sky Sports NFL. Hundred of coverages on third and fourth down against Jordan Love was a man.”
“Their ability to adapt to the teams they play, their ability to get comfortable with understanding different positions and schemes and how they can show one thing and do another, will be difficult.
“You can lure Jared Goff into some of those shooting situations and because of who he is, he'll let it rip, and you can take advantage of turnovers.”
Darnold enters Sunday having completed 343 of 504 passes (68.1 percent) for a fourth-high 4,153 yards and 35 touchdowns to 12 interceptions in a career year.
He signed a one-year contract with the Vikings in March in light of a quarterback competition with JJ McCarthy following Cousins' departure, only to secure a free running start after a season-ending injury to the rookie first-round pick. .
Darnold spent the previous season as Brock Purdy's backup in San Francisco, following two seasons with the Carolina Panthers on the back of a three-year stint with the New York Jets after being selected with the third overall pick in the 2018 draft.
“You're talking about the leading quarterbacks in the NFL, including Sam Darnold, Jared Goff, Baker Mayfield — you look at young quarterbacks who aren't coaching now, but let's see where they are in four or five years,” Reynolds added. “It's really great.”
“Goff has been so far removed, he's so entrenched as a successful starter with Detroit, I forget they took him off the hands of the Rams to get draft picks, I don't think Detroit was sold on Jared Goff to begin with.
“There are quarterbacks who were in bad situations, Sam Darnold had a good few years on the bench and then he came in good.
“We went through that a couple of years ago with Geno Smith, where quarterbacks can be saved and they can rebuild their careers. They're a product of their environment, but they also play a huge role because you have to be careful not to say they're 'no good, it's not taken out of them.'
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Detroit Lions vs. San Francisco 49ers highlights from Week 17 of the NFL
Goff led the Lions to the NFC Championship for the first time in 32 years last season after inserting himself into the best quarterback conversation with a dramatic career rebound. He has maintained that form in 2024 by completing 363 of 506 passes (71.7 percent) for the second-most 4,398 yards and 36 touchdowns to 10 interceptions, his passer rating of 113.6 bested only by Lamar Jackson.
“If you look around the league, what Goff did was phenomenal, he really re-invited himself,” Scheckter said. “It shows what he can do when you're really developing a quarterback, and it makes you think there's a lot of quarterbacks out there that don't do a lot.
“It just takes one person to see what you can do, just because you might be an NFL coach, it doesn't mean you're the best teacher and you can relate to someone enough to understand their needs.
“That's why the Vikings and Lions are such a well-rounded team overall.”
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The Minnesota Vikings defense celebrated Theo Jackson's game-winning interception against the Seattle Seahawks by imitating the dance from the movie “Camp Rock.”
Detroit came out victorious when the two teams met in a thrilling matchup earlier this year, neutralizing the Flores defense for a 31-29 win as Goff threw for two touchdowns and Jahmir Gibbs rushed for 116 yards and two scores.
“In anticipation, no one will sleep, everyone will call in sick to work on Monday, and no one can miss this game,” Scheckter said.
“It's going to be special, you know these two teams and how they work, they're explosive, they're fun to watch.
“With everything on the line, this is where these two teams stand out the most, when the bright lights shine the stars come out. It's basically a preview of the conference championship.”