The big question of the 2024 NFL playoffs on the NFC side of things is simple: who's going to stop the Detroit Lions?
We know they're not going to stop themselves. Head coach Dan Campbell has quickly turned around the culture in Detroit thanks to instilling an environment of accountability, hard work, and toughness. His team is disciplined, and they play hard.
Whether they're trying to overcome five interceptions thrown by the quarterback or trying to keep up with MVP candidate Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, this is a Lions team that's not going to give up or take itself out of any game.
The Lions will be a tough out. They'll make sure of that. But can they be beaten?
Before Week 18's epic Sunday Night Football clash with the Minnesota Vikings for the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC, the answer to that was a resounding yes.
If they had any weakness over these past few weeks, it was their absolute liability of a defense. Even that, though, was not a fault of the coaching staff or the players but rather a result of an injury bug that absolutely ravaged the defensive side of the ball.
The Lions came into Week 18's contest with the Vikings with several top defensive players on the injured reserve. That list includes star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson but was in no way limited to just him. Throw in defensive lineman Alim McNeill, cornerbacks Carlton Davis III and Ennis Rakestraw Jr., and linebacker Derrick Barnes, and you start to get the picture.
Detroit had been gashed for weeks defensively because of all these players being out, and against a Minnesota team that had averaged 31.5 points per game and was riding a nine-game winning streak, it seemed like the Lions' defense was going to be exposed in the worst possible moment — with the top seed in the NFC on the line.
Facing an offense with Justin Jefferson (103 receptions for 1,533 yards and 10 touchdowns), Jordan Addison (875 receiving yards and nine touchdowns), and Aaron Jones (1,138 rushing yards and five touchdowns) led by a resurgent Sam Darnold (4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns with just 12 interceptions) was supposed to be the death knell for the Lions' defense.
Instead, the Lions held the Vikings to a shocking nine points. Darnold completed just 18-of-41 passes for 166 yards and no touchdowns. Jefferson was held to just three catches for 54 yards, and former Lion T.J. Hockenson caught just two catches for nine yards.
So much for a revenge game.
Meanwhile, Jared Goff completed 27-of-33 passes for 231 yards and a touchdown (though he was picked off twice), and running back Jahmyr Gibbs rushed 23 times for 139 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. He also added a touchdown as a receiver.
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Jahmyr Gibbs was a superstar for the Lions vs. Vikings
The Lions suffered yet another heartbreaking injury with the loss of running back David Montgomery a few weeks back, and the thought was that Gibbs would be far less effective without the “thunder” to his “lightning” in Detroit's backfield.
All Gibbs has done since then, though, is put up three 100-plus yard rushing games in a row with six total touchdowns to his name. His epic performance on Sunday Night against the Vikings was simply the capper to an elite few weeks of football, and he's feeling good about it.
“We're obviously having a better season this year, and I think everybody is still counting us out a little bit, so being able to shut them up a little bit feels good,” Gibbs said after the game, according to Eric Woodyard of ESPN.
Gibbs has been so good, in fact, that he's drawing well-earned statistical comparisons to Lions legend Barry Sanders. He's the first Lions player to lead the NFL in scrimmage touchdowns since Sanders did so in 1991. Sanders had 17 that season, while Gibbs has put up 20. He's also the first Lions running back to have a four-touchdown game since Sanders did so in 1991.
“Just being able to have a record close to his, or I broke it, but being in the same talk with him is just crazy,” Gibbs said, per ESPN.
In all, Detroit's 31-9 victory over the Vikings was a Super Bowl-worthy performance. Now we'll just have to wait and see if the Lions can translate this momentum into the postseason. According to Eric Woodyard's ESPN piece, they do seem focused.
“We was able to come up short last year, so we know what our goal is: Enjoy this victory and get back to the lab, because we understand what we want to do,” cornerback Amik Robertson said.
