The Detroit Lions won the final game of the 2024 NFL season against the Minnesota Vikings 31-9, securing the NFC North title and the conference’s top seed. Jahmyr Gibbs made history twice.
Vikings @ Lions: At a glance
- The Lions won the final game of the 2024 regular season against the Minnesota Vikings, securing the NFC’s top seed and the NFC North title.
- Jahmyr Gibbs excelled and achieved two record marks at his gala performance.
- The Vikings were particularly bad in one area of the field, which explained the clear difference in the end.
Vikings @ Lions: The analysis
It wasn’t until the end of the first quarter that the Lions managed to score their first points of the game. The key was a 4th down conversion from Jared Goff to Jameson Williams for 14 yards at 4th&5. Jahmyr Gibbs then ran for a 25-yard touchdown to give the Lions the lead.
About seven minutes later, Justin Jefferson brought his team to the Lions’ 5-yard line with a 31-yard reception. From there, however, it only went to the 3. After that, Darnold missed three passes in a row under pressure for a turnover on downs. The visitors would get the ball back quickly, however, as Goff threw a deflected interception to linebacker Ivan Pace. He returned the ball to the 7, but again they were stopped, but this time they kicked a field goal – Will Reichard from 25 yards.
After a turnover on downs near the halfway line by the Lions, the Vikings managed another field goal from inside the red zone, but Reichard kicked the following kickoff out of bounds 20 seconds before halftime, giving the Lions another timeout at the 40 There was a chance to get within field goal range again. Jake Bates sank from 48 yards, giving Detroit a 10-6 lead going into the break.
After the break, the Vikings were stopped at the opponent’s 2 after a good drive, but immediately got the ball back because Goff threw a deep interception to Harrison Smith. As a result, the Vikings settled for a field goal again, this time from 51 yards. After that, the Lions got better and better into the game and found gaps in the opponent’s defense.
Gibbs puts game out of reach
At 4th&2, the Lions finally found themselves at the opposing 10, Goff found Gibbs on a seam route and the Lions extended their lead. In return, Reichard missed a field goal attempt from 51 yards and Detroit wasted no time in following up. Once again it was Gibbs who found the end zone, this time from 13 yards. 24:9 with only 13 minutes left on the clock.
The Lions got the ball back quickly, Gibbs went on a 47-yard run and a little later he scored his fourth touchdown of the game to finally put the lid on it.
The Lions lost cornerback Terrion Arnold to a foot injury in that game. However, a diagnosis is still pending. This victory meant that the Lions won their division twice in a row for the first time in their history and also conquered the top seed in the NFC for the first time. For them, the playoffs only begin in the Divisional Round, and the Vikings will meet the Los Angeles Rams on the Super Wild Card Weekend on the night of next Tuesday.
Minnesota Vikings (14-3) @ Detroit Lions (15-2)
Result: 9:31 (0:7, 6:3, 3:7, 0:14) BOXSCORE
Vikings @ Lions: Key stats
- With his four touchdowns in the game, Gibbs now has 20 this season, which is a new franchise single-season record. He surpassed Hall of Famer Barry Sanders (17) from the 1991 season. Gibbs also set the team record for most touchdowns in a game.
- Aidan Hutchinson was also not replaced in this game as the Lions’ sack leader (7.5) this season. He leads his team in sacks in a season with the fewest games ever (5) in NFL history.
- Harrison Smith’s interception after halftime was his third of the season and the 37th of his career. This is the most of any active player in the NFL.
- The Vikings are the first NFL team ever to not win their division despite winning 14 times in a season.
The star of the game: Jahmyr Gibbs (Running Back, Lions)
Gibbs excelled in this game, recording 180 scrimmage yards and 4 touchdowns. He was the decisive man on an evening in which the passing game didn’t work as smoothly as usual. Special praise also goes to cornerback Amik Robertson, who mainly struggled with Jefferson and had him under control for long stretches.
The flop of the game: Red Zone Offense (Vikings)
If you want to highlight the difference in this game without any analytical approach, all you have to do is look at the teams’ red zone records. The Lions were 3/3 here, the Vikings were 0/4! They also missed both of their fourth attempts. You simply won’t beat a team like the Lions in a long, close game that is so inefficient and conservative.
Analysis: Vikings @ Lions – that stood out tactically
- The Lions blitzed Darnold relentlessly on over half of his dropbacks and created pressure on almost 60 percent of his dropbacks alone by halftime. This also led to Darnold throwing mostly inaccurate and too high passes, especially in the red zone.
- As usual, the Vikings relied on a lot of disguises and fake blitzes as well as sometimes simulated pressure. In coverage they usually rely on man, but in the red zone they also sometimes use zone. Goff countered with mostly quick, short passes and, as usual, the run game was used in these cases.
- The Lions mainly relied on man coverage and also relied on safety help, especially against Justin Jefferson. In the red zone, linebackers also helped out in bracket coverage.
- The Lions were extremely disciplined with their defensive line and established the edges, leaving Darnold with little room in the pocket and little opportunity to break out of it. This disrupted his rhythm and made his passes inaccurate.