DETROIT — Jahmil Gibbs was the game-breaking player the Detroit Lions needed to kick their high-powered offense into gear and give them a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs.
Gibbs tied a franchise record with three touchdowns in the second half and the Lions defeated the Minnesota Vikings 31-9 on Sunday night to win their second straight NFC North title.
“Everybody has to go through here, baby!” Detroit defensive end Za'Darius Smith said to the roaring crowd after the game.
The Lions (15-2) and Vikings (14-3) could meet again in two weeks.
Detroit, who has improved, gets a much-needed week off, and Minnesota will face the NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams next Monday night.
in NFL In the final game before the playoffs, both teams played in the regular season for the first time, winning a total of 28 games. This will be the third time in more than 30 years that the No. 1 seed will be decided in the final game of the regular season.
Dallas ended the 1993 regular season with a 16-13 overtime victory against the New York Giants, earning them the top seed that the Cowboys used to their advantage in advancing to and winning the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, the Giants defeated Minnesota in the wild card round, but were routed in San Francisco the following week.
Detroit desperately wants history to repeat itself. The Lions are looking to make their first Super Bowl appearance and hope to end an NFL championship drought dating back to 1957. They are the No. 1 seed for the first time in franchise history.
“That's not the cherry on top,” quarterback Jared Goff said. “still.”
Game 272 of the regular season was expected to be a shootout with the Pro Bowl quarterback leading a high-scoring offense, but Goff and Sam Darnold weren't at their best.
Gibbs gave the team some leeway.
“He's as explosive as any player in the league,” Minnesota coach Kevin O'Connell said.
Gibbs had 23 carries for 139 yards and a career-high three rushing touchdowns, and caught five passes for 31 yards and a score.
“He was special, and we needed him to be,” Goff said.
Goff had two interceptions despite only being picked off once in the last seven games, and Minnesota made field goals after turnovers in the second and third quarters.
After Vikings rookie Will Reichard made his third kick to cut the deficit to 10-9 early in the third, Goff directed a 13-play, 70-yard drive that took 7 minutes, 25 seconds. , capped and scored with a smooth pass to Gibbs. 10 yard touchdown on 4th and 2nd base.
Goff went 8-of-8 on that possession, finishing 27-of-33 for 231 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
Darnold completed less than half of his passes in the first half, missing opportunities to get first downs and score touchdowns. The Vikings went 0-of-3 in the red zone through the second quarter, giving the Lions a 10-6 lead at halftime, but they were within 20 points for the fourth time in the second half when they were touched. Couldn't get any downs.
The Vikings went for it in the second quarter on fourth down from the Lions' 3, when Darnold, under pressure, beat Justin Jefferson in the open zone.
Darnold threw another incomplete pass on fourth down early in the third at the Detroit 2.
“You can't win against that team by kicking field goals,” Darnold said. “I have to hit that throw.”
O'Connell elected to go for a 51-yard field goal late in the third with an eight-point lead, but Reichard missed to the right.
Darnold was 18-of-41 for a season-low 44% completion rate and finished just three times on nine targets against Jefferson for 54 yards.
“A lot of things we did well this season we didn't do,” O'Connell said. “Sam has hit a lot of those plays all year, and I have every confidence he'll make them next time.”
