The Detroit Lions will showdown against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night to determine who will the #1 seed in the NFC division, and secure a opening round bye in the playoffs. The loser will fall to the fifth seed and play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road. Both teams are coming off convincing wins in the previous week, and are entering the game with a full head of steam, in a final week divisional clash. Next, we will look at the game plan in order for the Detroit Lions to defeat the Vikings in front of the home crowd.

Discipline

In theory, the game will likely come down to the wire decided by only a few plays. In order to secure the victory the Lions will need to play much more discipline ,and eliminate any unnecessary penalties caused by them losing their cool.

Limit The Big Play

Next, look for the Lions to try to eliminate the explosive plays that plagued them in the previous game. The Vikings passing game is a much more potent attack with the return of  TJ Hockenson. His presence has opened things up for the offense, and provided more opportunities for speedy Wideout Jordan Addison who had a slow start to the regular season.

Protection

Lastly the Lions will need to protect Jared Goff better. The Vikings managed 4 sacks in their last meeting with Detroit. Defensively, they are a team that likes to overload the line of scrimmage and disguise their blitzes. This concept has enabled them to reek havoc in the backfield and force turnovers. They are tied for 1st in the league with 31 takeaways. Despite the 4 sacks, Jared Goff managed to pick the Vikings secondary apart for 280 yards, 2 touchdowns and most importantly no interceptions . They hope to duplicate that effort on Sunday Night.

Key Players

Ifeatu Melifonwu has been out the majority of the year, but since his return, the Lions have slowly gotten him acclimated within the defense. Look for him to be a major impact in slowing down their aerial attack, whether its rushing the passer, or in coverage. Melifonwu had a game sealing interception on Vikings QB Nicks Mullens during week 16.

After coming out the gate hot as Detroit’s newest acquisition, Za’darius Smith has been quiet the last few games. He hasn’t recorded a sack since December 5th against the Packers, and the Lion’s pass rush as a whole, has struggled to get to the quarterback. The regular season finale is a perfect chance to reassert his presence to the game. Smith has an opportunity to cash in on a few bonuses if he can successfully get to Sam Darnold on Sunday. He’ll take home $250k with 2 sacks, and an additional $500k if he can somehow find a way to obtain a lofty 4 sacks.

Last year when the Detroit Lions BEAT the Minnesota Vikings to win the NFC NORTH 🦁

The Dan Campbell and Jared Goff interaction #OnePride pic.twitter.com/FpuWgptY7Q

— Crunch Time Sports (@officialctpod) January 2, 2025

The Lions will be going into the game as the slight favorite, most notably due to the game being played on their home field. A victory at home would be massive Detroit. it would give them home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, and would give them an additional week to rest and get healthier. Alex Anzalone and Kalif Raymond have been removed from the IR, and will be active practice participants this week, as their 21 day window is now open.