Detroit Lions will host the Minnesota Vikings in the Week 18 game of the 2024 NFL season. It will be an intense duel where both franchises will define the first place of the National Conference in the final game of the regular season. The previous hours are tense and head coach Dan Campbell did not hesitate to tell what his team must do on the field next Sunday against the visitors, led by quarterback Sam Darnold.
The stakes go beyond a sports result. The team that wins the Vikings-Lions game will be able to rest the first week of the postseason, which is valuable at this stage of the league. The loser will begin its playoff run on the road as the fifth seed in the NFC. The implications are huge.
Detroit has proven that it is the best team in the NFC thanks to its high-powered offense and the new confidence the team has gained since head coach Campbell took over. The Vikings, on the other hand, have a solid defense and are relying on resurgent quarterback Darnold, who has turned his career around and is now one of the protagonists of this intense divisional battle between two teams that share a 14-2 record.
Campbell’s warning to Darnold’s Vikings
Coach Campbell has been clear about what the Lions need to do next Sunday at home. “Our mindset is wholly on this game right now. It’s about this next game and it’s about finding a way to win. We had to do it in Chicago the week before, so it’s the next one in front of us, and we’ve got to find a way to win this game, period, and really don’t care what it looks like, we’ve just got to win against the Vikings,” warned Campbell in an interview with the Detroit Free Press.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback 14 Sam Darnold warms up before the game against the Chicago Bears in Chicago, IL.
“I mean, this is exciting, but it’s not like it’s the playoffs. We’ll be out there in a walk-through and then, man, you put your best foot forward and you give your guys all you can and you cut them loose and let them go make plays and see where you step up. So that’s the exciting part. This is something we want to do and we’ve had in our minds and it’s right here in our hands,” sentenced Campbell.
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Vikings-Lions game to remain in NFL history
Campbell’s warning is clear, as the Lions coach wants his team to defeat Darnold and the Vikings in any way possible. His vision is not to be outdone. Sunday night’s game will be the first regular season game in history to feature two teams with at least 13 wins and a combined 28 victories. It will undoubtedly be a historic matchup.
How did the last Vikings-Lions game end in the 2024 NFL?
Detroit and Minnesota have already met in the current season. Campbell’s Lions earned a 31-29 win over Darnold’s Vikings in Week 7 thanks to a 44-yard field goal with 15 seconds left in the game after Kevin O’Connell’s team rallied from an 11-play deficit.
