Lions' Dream Season Reaches Pivotal Moment

Lions battle Vikings in Week 18 with division and No. 1 seed on line.

Detroit Lions fans cheer on against San Francisco 49ers during the second half at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. on Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

If there's one thing that Detroit Lions fans have learned in 2024, it's that 14 wins doesn't mean as much as it used to. 

The Lions extended their franchise-best start to the ‘24 campaign Monday night, defeating the San Francisco 49ers for their 14th win in 16 games.

In a typical season, 14 wins would have all but guaranteed capturing not only the NFC North division crown but also the NFC's No. 1 seed. However, the 2024 season has been anything but normal for Dan Campbell's team.

Instead of having the division and the No. 1 seed wrapped up going into the season's final week, the 14-2 Lions will have to beat Kevin O'Connell and his 14-2 Minnesota Vikings in order to win the NFC North and grab the NFC's top seed. It marks the first season finale matchup with a conference’s No. 1 seed at stake since the Cowboys and the Giants clashed to close out the 1993 campaign.

The Lions and the Vikings dropped a marquee matchup right into the laps of the NFL for Week 18, and the league “rewarded” the two NFC North franchises with a date on the season finale of “Sunday Night Football.” 

It's the epitome of a meaningful game for Detroit and Minnesota. And Campbell, to no surprise, wouldn't have it any other way.

“This is what you’re in it for. You couldn’t write a better scenario,” Campbell expressed after beating the 49ers Monday. “You couldn’t come up with this. The fact that both teams are sitting at 14-2, and it’s for the division and the top seed, it just doesn’t get any better than this.

“This is fairytale stuff. It speaks for itself. Our guys are excited. I told you the hardest thing was not to overlook what we were getting ready to do today. Now that it’s here, I’m going to spend the next six hours on the plane like, ‘This is as good as it gets.’”

I'm sure you could find a number of NFL players that would prefer not being in the pressure-filled situation that Campbell & Co. are in entering the final week of the regular season. Yet, for the battle-tested Detroit Lions, which are now 10-2 under Campbell in primetime games, the challenge is embraced. They are undeniably wired differently, and as they've proven all year long, they're uniquely equipped to handle less-than-optimal circumstances.

Speaking of “less than optimal,” if the Lions don't prevail against the Vikings on Sunday, it will result in them dropping to the No. 5 seed and opening up the playoffs on the road as a wild-card team. Detroit would become the first three-loss wild-card squad since the 1999 Steve McNair-led Tennessee Titans, which finished 13-3 and in second place in the then-AFC Central division.

For as great as Campbell's squad has been on the road this season (8-0), I, like many fans and pundits, believe that Detroit – in its current injury-ravaged state – needs to secure home field in order to make a deep run this postseason. 

And if Monday night was any indication, Detroit’s once high-functioning defense – down several key defenders, including EDGE Aidan Hutchinson, defensive lineman Alim McNeill and cornerback Carlton Davis – would hugely benefit from some home-cooking.

Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn’s unit allowed Brock Purdy and the 49ers to score 34 points and rack up a staggering 29 first downs and 475 yards of total offense in the aforementioned Week 17 tilt. It was an inexcusable, lifeless effort from Glenn’s defense that likely would have been even worse if it weren’t for safety Kerby Joseph’s two second-half interceptions.

While that is all certainly true, Jared Goff & Co. – despite the Lions’ defensive deficiencies of late – have continued to get the job done away from Ford Field (and regardless of the opponent). For example, Goff has completed at least 70 percent of his passes in seven of the Lions’ eight road contests in 2024. Plus, he’s helped Detroit score at least 20 points in each of its road wins, including 74 total points the past two weeks against the Bears and the 49ers, respectively. 

.@Lions QB @JaredGoff16 has put together a historic season.#OnePride pic.twitter.com/nSukaGuy5n

— Detroit Lions PR (@LionsPR) December 31, 2024

For the first time in franchise history, the @Lions have gone undefeated on the road during a season.#OnePride pic.twitter.com/tPK00VcmSP

— Detroit Lions PR (@LionsPR) December 31, 2024

Furthermore, the Lions – undefeated away from home for the first time in franchise history – have beaten multiple playoff-bound teams in enemy territory this season: the Texans in Week 10 and NFC North foes, Minnesota and Green Bay, in Weeks 7 and 9, respectively.

Undoubtedly, it’s been a dominant year on the road for Goff and his teammates.  

“A ton,” the veteran quarterback said in the postgame of the "pride" Detroit takes in being perfect on the road. “I answered this on the field earlier, but like the ‘us-against-everybody’ mentality, how tight this group is, how close we are, that comes out in full force on the road. Our culture, how prideful we are and what we want to do. Our fans have shown up to road games and have made a difference. They’ve made it feel like semi-home games, and that’s important.”

Detroit’s 8-0 regular season road record is definitely nothing to sniff at. It’s an impressive feat that Goff & Co. absolutely should be proud of and commended for. Yet, the playoffs are an entirely different beast, and I believe the Lions – with their multitude of defensive injuries – will have a hard time going into either Minnesota or Philadelphia this postseason and emerging victorious.

No ifs, ands, or buts about it, Detroit must leave Ford Field with a victory Sunday night. If it doesn't, the team's dream season – and specifically its chances of making a trip to New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX – will be in serious jeopardy.