'sunday Night Football' live updates: Vikings face Lions for No. 1 seed in NFC

Under coach Dan Campbell, the Lions have been the league’s most fearless team in attempting fourth-down conversions. since he became coach in 2021, Detroit is 82-147 when going for it, a success rate of 55.8%; the marks are league-highs. Minnesota, with its defense under coordinator Brian Flores, is seemingly one of defenses best prepared for the Lions’ willingness to gamble. The Vikings have allowed conversions 11 times out of 31 attempts this season, a stop-rate of 64.5% that leads the NFL.

Both Minnesota and Detroit locked up their playoff berths week ago, but as for their seed, it all comes down to one, final game. The stakes are simple, yet significant: Whoever wins this game claims the NFC’s top seed in the playoffs and with it, a first-round bye and home-field advantage.

The loser, however, faces consequences — namely, one extra game. The loser would become the NFC’s No. 5 seed and open the playoffs with a guaranteed road game during the wild-card round, facing the division winner with the worst record. Being the No. 5 seed could mean three consecutive road games just to make the super Bowl. Only the 1985 Bears, 2005 steelers, 2007 Giants, 2010 Packers and 2020 Bucs have won three road postseason games and gone on to win the super Bowl. Detroit this season is 8-0 on the road.

It should be noted that Detroit has never been a No. 1 seed in its long history.

This is the first game in NFL history between two teams with at least 13 victories. The Vikings and Lions are both 14-2.

This is partly a quirk of the 2021 rule change that added a 17th regular-season game. But also, it’s a remarkable testament to how strong the NFC North has been this season while becoming the most competitive division in the league. Minnesota, Detroit and Green Bay all entered Week 18 having outscored their opponents by at least 122 points in the aggregate this season. Meanwhile, only four other teams in the entire league had a point differential of plus-100 or higher.

Another sign of the North’s strength? Entering Week 18, an 11-5 record was only good enough for third in the division (Green Bay). That same record, meanwhile, would have led three of the league’s seven other divisions.

A preseason prediction that Detroit quarterback Jared Goff would make the Pro Bowl would not have been outlandish; coming off last season’s deep postseason run, the Lions appeared primed for super Bowl contention. But perhaps no one would have predicted Minnesota quarterback sam Darnold would earn a Pro Bowl nod, as he did this week.

Darnold, set to be the Vikings backup until a preseason injury sidelined Minnesota’s first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy, has led the Vikings to nine consecutive wins for the first time in the franchise’s history since 1975. And in his last seven games, Darnold has thrown for 18 touchdowns against just two interceptions.

statistically, Goff has been even better over that same seven-game span, having thrown for 20 touchdowns and just one interception. It’s helped Goff already throw for a career-high 36 pass touchdowns with one game to go.

Befitting these teams’ success this season, each was rewarded with plenty of Pro Bowl recognition.

seven Lions and six Vikings were named to the roster for the league’s de facto all-star roster, which will play a flag football-style game Feb. 2 in Orlando.