With the NFC North division title at stake, the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings will square off in a season finale next week, and American football fans will be watching them closely.
After defeating the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, the Vikings are now 14-2 and 1.5 games ahead of the Lions in the division. Minnesota’s victory guarantees that the winner of the game against the Lions the following week will win the division, regardless of the result of Detroit’s Monday Night Football matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.
On December 29, the NFL declared that the game will be flexed to Sunday’s sole primetime window, which is set aside for one of the most important games on the schedule.
The Lions will play in primetime.
Both teams are among the best in the league, so the Lions vs. Vikings game should be exciting, as highlighted by Benjamin Raven of MLive.com.
With two of the NFL’s most exciting teams vs. one another in Game 272, Raven said, “It’s as juicy of a late-season matchup as possible.” “Every game is marked as “TBD” until after Week 17, giving the league the most leeway possible in the final week.”
The Lions have had an incredible season, Raven continued, finishing 5-0 in the division thus far and hoping to maintain their perfect record in the season finale next week.
Raven commented, “The Lions are having their best regular season ever, dominating the NFC North and advancing this far.” “However, the Vikings have maintained pressure throughout the season, winning every game since Week 8 and most recently defeating the Green Bay Packers in Week 17 to set up this crucial matchup.”
Beyond the division, the game might have some significant ramifications. The victor of next week’s game will receive the first overall seed and a first-round bye if the Lions defeat the 49ers on Monday. The losing team will become the first 14-win wild card squad in NFL history.
There will be significant historical ramifications to the game as well. Only three other NFL games in history have pitted two teams with such outstanding records against one another, as ESPN’s Kevin Seifert pointed out.
“Only the fourth time in NFL history will two teams that are both ten or more games above each other play in Detroit on Sunday.500, according to @EliasSports,” Seifert posted on X.
No Sleep for Fatigued Lions
A victory over the Vikings would offer the Lions a vital chance to recover during the first round of the playoffs, even though they won’t have the ability to rest their starters in Week 18. The Lions are on the verge of regaining a vital offensive player, as stated by Billy Riccette of USA Today’s Lions Wire.
In the event that the Lions receive the first-round bye, running back David Montgomery would not have to miss a playoff game due to a knee ailment that is projected to keep him out for two more weeks.
“The Lions can secure the first-round bye and the No. 1 seed this week with a victory and a Vikings loss against the Packers, and it is hoped that Montgomery will return for the Divisional Round,” Riccette wrote.
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