NFC Playoff Picture: Lions and Vikings will duel in a thriller for the NFC's One Seed

Week 18 is quickly approaching marking the end of another fantastic NFL regular season. This article will break down what is still at play for the two best teams in the NFC currently and what their futures for the upcoming playoffs entail depending on who wins this intense regular-season finale. If you want to know what’s going on in the NFC Playoffs for the remaining five teams, stay on the lookout for an article tomorrow breaking down every other team in the NFC’s path to the Super Bowl.

As we begin at the top of the NFC, the former 3-13 Detroit Lions from 2021 keeping their core players throughout their rebrand currently sit at the top of the throne in the NFC with an outstanding 14-2 record. For their offence, the offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has been a mastermind at the playcalling position as his team leads the league in points per game at 33.3. To explain how their offence remains so efficient throughout an entire season, they have so many elite skilled position players that do such phenomenal jobs which in the process allows star quarterback Jared Goff to just execute on simple plays. While the former first-overall pick did not succeed in his tenure with the Rams due to being asked to do too much, Jared has been much more successful on a team that just asks him to do his job simplifying the ever-so-complicated position. As for the Lions running game, known as “Sonic and Knuckles” Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery have led the most prolific one-two running offence in the NFL. First-round pick Jahmyr Gibbs has had a pro-bowl season accumulating 1273 rushing yards and thirteen rushing touchdowns. Additionally, his speed and catching ability have also allowed him to have almost five hundred receiving yards as well adding to his already impressive campaign. 

David Montgomery on the other hand has complimented Jahmyr well with his blocking, receiving, and big runs in the redzone. Montgomery as the second back still sees the field plenty accumulating 775 rushing yards for twelve touchdowns. Unfortunately, Montgomery is battling a knee injury suffered in week 15 against the Buffalo Bills and is projected to potentially return by the divisional round According to Ian Rapoport. Due to the Lions amazing run game, their receivers have been able to surprise defences who are more focused on the running backs allowing for exceptional plays. Star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown being an underdog throughout his career as a fourth-round pick has made every other team pay for it heavily. Just this season, his 1186 receiving yards cements his legacy as one of if not the best slot receivers in football currently. Speedster Jameson Williams has helped the Lions heavily on big plays whether it is running end-around, jet sweeps, hook and ladders, or just running deep routes and scoring touchdowns. Veteran receiver Tim Patrick has also played an important role in this Lions offence coming up clutch on third and fourth downs. Second-year tight end Sam Laporta has also continued his outstanding start to his young career by helping the Lions on big trick plays in addition to run block and serving all roles that a tight end has to offer. All these skilled positions have allowed Jared Goff to follow Ben Johnson’s gameplan and make his skilled position players do the rest which has been a perfect recipe for both Goff and his skilled position players. Due to their success, every NFL team looking for a head coach believes Ben Johnson is the best person for that role and if he ends up taking an offer to be a head coach, the Lions will have to find a new play caller for the 2025 season.

Surprisingly, the NFC North has a second 14-2 contender in the Minnesota Vikings. While the Vikings separated ways with quarterback Kirk Cousins, drafting Michigan’s finest J.J. McCarthy in the first round was their expected solution. Unfortunately, McCarthy tore his meniscus before the regular season even started and the Vikings have had to rely on veteran Sam Darnold for the 2024 season. Many critics believed the Vikings would not be able to even make a playoff appearance under Darnold. Surprisingly, the first-time pro-bowler turned everyone's heads playing at such an impressive level that we have never seen Darnold play at ever in his career. Playcaller and head coach Kevin O’Connell has been a great leader and role model for his team as he will very likely win coach of the year due to leading his team to through a hard season with such a phenomenal record. As for their skilled position players, known as the best receiver in football Justin Jefferson who in the offseason signed a four-year $140 million contract making him the highest-paid receiver in football proved he is worthy of his salary by producing 1479 receiving yards in addition to ten receiving touchdowns. Third-year USC receiver Jordan Addison has completely broken out this season having just nine hundred receiving yards with nine touchdowns to go with it. It is paramount that the Vikings have a solid number-two guy if teams consistently double-team and plan around Jefferson. 

What separates the Vikings from the Lions is their respective defences. The Lions statistically have been sub-par allowing 33 points per game in their last three games due to the countless injuries they have suffered throughout this season. The Lions are currently missing star defensive end Aiden Hutchinson who will only return in the event the Lions go all the way to the Super Bowl. The Lions are also currently missing linebackers Alex Anzalone and Jack Campbell who both play large roles on this heavy-hitting defence. The Vikings on the other hand under defensive coordinator Brian Flores who is also under consideration for head coaching positions has been the reason the Vikings this season have only allowed 18 points per game. Flores uses hidden and disguised schemes to trick opposing quarterbacks into making the wrong reads and limit them from reading his defensive formations. Recently awarded pro bowlers and outside linebackers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel have caused havoc on opposing offenses making their lives extremely difficult. The Vikings secondary has also been playing at an elite level as pro bowler and slot cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. has been playing the best football of his career. Future hall-of-fame cornerback Stephon Gilmore has been a mentor for this hungry defence and has had quite an impressive season himself.

As it currently stands, these two powerhouses will collide on Sunday night to conclude the NFL regular season at Ford Field home of the Detroit Lions. It is worth mentioning in their previous matchup this season in week seven the Lions were victorious as Gibbs and St. Brown had great performances in addition to an impressive interception by safety sensation Brian Branch. The winner of this game will be awarded the first seed in the NFC in addition to receiving a bye week in the wildcard round and having home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. However, the losing team will drop all the way to the fifth seed where they will likely have to go on the road for the entire playoffs. Fortunately for the losing team, Tom Brady’s 2020 Buccaneers team were the fifth seed in the NFC and played all road games on their way to winning the Super Bowl even though they luckily were the host team that year. While either team can still go on a run in the playoffs, being the top seed will make them the Vegas favourite to make the Super Bowl and being the fifth seed will make them likely to go through Tampa Bay where the Lions already lost to them previously this season or the Los Angeles Rams who already defeated the Vikings as well earlier in the season. Either way, everything is still to play for and we will see who will earn the one seed come Sunday night.