All Roads to Super Bowl Now Go Through Detroit Lions

Equipped with home-field advantage, the Lions will be a tough out this postseason.

Jan 5, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (26) pushes off of Minnesota Vikings safety Camryn Bynum (24) and scores a touchdown during the second half at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images / David Reginek-Imagn Images

It sure was far from the easiest path taken. Nevertheless, after 18 long, strenuous weeks, the Detroit Lions finally captured what was rightfully theirs: the NFC North division crown.

Dan Campbell's squad clinched the division title for a second straight season, and secured the NFC's No. 1 seed in the playoffs for the first time ever by beating the Minnesota Vikings Sunday night.

And, Campbell & Co. didn't just get “lucky” and squeak out a close victory in the Week 18 showdown with their division rivals. Rather, they did just the opposite. After leading only 10-6 at halftime, the Lions took full control in the final half of play, outscoring Kevin O'Connell's squad, 21-3. Pro Bowl running back Jahmyr Gibbs scored three second-half touchdowns, and Aaron Glenn's injury-ravaged defense kept Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson in check (three catches for 54 yards) and Minnesota out of the end zone for all four quarters. It was a career-best, four-touchdown (three rushing and one receiving) day for Gibbs, as well as a masterful performance from Glenn’s unit.  

Just like everything the Lions have achieved this season, they absolutely earned the Week 18 victory – and season sweep of their NFC North enemies – and proved that they, not the Vikings, are the lone NFC team deserving of the conference's top seed.

It's the crowning achievement thus far in what has been a banner season for the once irrelevant franchise. The Lions overcame injury after injury during the regular season, including significant injuries to several key defensive contributors (most notably EDGE Aidan Hutchinson), to win a franchise-best 15 games. In case you were wondering, it’s just the ninth 15-win campaign in NFL history.

The 2024 @Lions are the 9th team in @NFL history to win 15 games in a season.#OnePride pic.twitter.com/ttrGDgYk8K

— Detroit Lions PR (@LionsPR) January 6, 2025

Campbell also guided the organization to its first ever season sweep of its division, its first back-to-back division championships and a franchise-best campaign for offensive productivity: 564 points and 6,962 total net yards. 

These would undeniably be incredible feats for any NFL franchise. Yet, they’re even more impressive for the Lions, an organization that finished a lowly 3-13-1 and was the cellar-dweller of the NFC North just three seasons ago (in Campbell’s first year on the job). Detroit was hardly a blip on the radar for the league’s 31 other franchises at the time. And when the organization was mentioned, it was typically as the butt of a joke on sports talk radio and late-night TV. 

There is nothing to laugh at with today’s Lions, though. Under Campbell, they’ve morphed into a gritty group of players that expect to win each time they step onto the field. That mentality, adopted from their head coach, has helped Detroit win a total of 27 regular season games (and two postseason contests) the past two seasons. And with the playoffs set to start next weekend, the Lions – as they presently stand – have a realistic shot at hoisting the Lombardi Trophy for the first time in franchise history. 

It’s been a meteoric rise to relevance for Campbell’s squad, and one which, in his eyes, has been four years in the making.

“Back-to-back division winners in the NFC North, got the one seed, 15 wins, I just couldn’t be more proud of those guys,” Campbell said of his team after its Week 18 win vs. Minnesota. “And, I just told them that to me, this has been in the making for a while. You know, it takes a special group of guys. And, I think you kind of had to go through what we’ve been through over the last four years – the core of this unit – and then anybody that comes in, they fall in line because they, that’s what we’re built around, is our core. And, they really delivered for us today.” 

Campbell’s group isn’t satisfied with just being division winners and holding the conference’s No. 1 seed, either. Jared Goff and his teammates have their eyes on a bigger prize: winning the Super Bowl. 

“Not the cherry on top, no, not yet,” the Lions veteran signal-caller said of winning the division in the final week of the season. “Yeah, it’s fun, it’s what we talked about when we first got here. Certainly, when I first got here, it was what the opportunity you dream about is being able to win division championships and then the NFC North and then ultimately win Super Bowls – that’s what next for us. I think, yeah, this is fun and exciting, and we obviously wanted it really bad and we’re going to enjoy the heck out of it. But, it’s step one. 

“In some other world, it would have happened a few weeks ago, and we would have had this conversation a few weeks ago. But, you know, it happened Week 18, and it had to happen the way it did. Everything happens for a reason. Now, we need to enjoy this and then get ready to go win another one.”

Sure, it would have been nice for Goff & Co. to lock up the NFC North and the No. 1 seed earlier in the season. It would’ve made Detroit’s Week 18 tilt with Minnesota much less of a pressure-cooker, and maybe, just maybe, Campbell would’ve then rested some of his starters – or more likely played them an abbreviated amount of time – in the season finale.  

However, all of the above is a moot point at this juncture. The simple fact is that Detroit took care of business on Sunday night, and as a result, it now possesses a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the postseason. It’s just what the doctor ordered for Campbell’s banged-up bunch, which had its bye all the way back in Week 5. 

At this point, if you still need to be convinced that the Lions are legitimate world championship contenders, shame on you. Unequivocally, the road to the Super Bowl in the NFC now runs through the Motor City.