The NFC will officially be held in Detroit during the 2024 postseason.
The Lions led 10-6 at halftime, but used their second-half advantage to defeat the Vikings 31-9 and clinch the NFC North and the conference’s No. 1 seed.
Jahmil Gibbs paced Detroit’s offense with a career-high four touchdowns while gaining 170 yards from scrimmage, leading the club to victory.
Gibbs took the lead in the first quarter with a 25-yard run. He then caught a 10-yard touchdown late in the third quarter, making the score 17-9. Gibbs then broke the game open with TD runs of 13 and 4 yards in the fourth quarter.
He finished the season with 20 total touchdowns, leading the NFL in this category.
Quarterback Jared Goff got off to a slow start, but finished the night 27-of-33 for 231 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Amon-Ra St. Brown led the way with six catches for 77 yards.
But Detroit’s defense, led by coordinator Aaron Glenn, was great all night. The Lions had 10 QB hits from Sam Darnold and had two sacks, though it looked like it was going to be more. With constant pressure, Darnold completed 18 of 41 passes for 166 yards.
Detroit’s red zone defense was also exemplary, as the Vikings had possession ends at the 3-yard line and 2-yard line on downs.
Justin Jefferson gained 54 yards and had just three catches on nine targets.
With this win, the Lions finished the season with a 15-2 record and earned the NFC’s only bye. This is the first time in franchise history that Detroit will be the No. 1 seed in the conference. The Lions will face the NFC’s lowest remaining seed in the regional round, which could be the Vikings.
At 14-3, the Vikings are the No. 5 seed in the NFC and will travel to Los Angeles next Monday night to take on the No. 4 Rams.
