Detroit Lions stop Minnesota Vikings with masterclass in goal-line stands
In the biggest regular-season game ever played in Ford Field.
On a night when the weight of the moment hung in the air, the excitement and nerves thick as fog.
The Detroit Lions took down the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night mainly because of guts — coach Dan Campbell's steely-eyed fourth-down gambles and the gritty, gutty performance of the Lions defense.
All hail the Lions — the kings of the (NFC) North.
And now, the clear favorites to get to the Super Bowl.
"What a great job," coach Dan Campbell said. "Back-to-back division winners in the NFC North, got the No. 1 seed, 15 wins. I just couldn't be more proud of those guys."
In the eloquent words of injured defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, who stood on the sideline and pumped up the crowd, waving his arms and screaming, as he appeared on the massive videoboard: “Let’s (expletive) go! Let’s (expletive) go!”
Yep. That sums up this loud, intense, high-octane night.
Onward down the field — right into the playoffs, baby.
"I can't say enough about our defense," Campbell said. "Let me start there, man. AG (defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn) and this defense, they really controlled that game for us, particularly the first half."
Wild, fantastic night
This was the most unique regular-season game in NFL history — the first time a pair of 14-win teams met in a season finale with the No. 1 seed on the line.
And because of the crazy way the NFL sets up the playoffs — the winner of the No. 1 seed gets easy street, with a first-round bye and homefield advantage until the Super Bowl.
Meanwhile, the loser gets anything but the spoils — relegated to the wild-card round, having to become road warriors on the way to the Super Bowl.
The importance was lost on no one.
It’s the kind of pressure that can suffocate you.
But these Lions seemed to breathe it in and let it fuel them, making all the big plays when they needed it.
You wanna know who did feel pressure?
Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold — maybe not from the moment, but certainly from the blitzing Lions. The Lions hit him three times early in the game — they looked like body blows — and he never seemed to get comfortable, his timing off, overthrowing wide open receivers.
And that was critical to this game that was expected to be a shootout.
The Lions had 10 quarterback hits, two sacks and six passes broken up.
“We've all heard the narrative the last couple weeks, counting our defense out,” tight end Sam LaPorta said. “And they played unbelievable today. It's just funny how teams step up, and when their numbers called these guys, they step up and they make big plays.”
Glenn dialed up something beautiful.
“Man, they doubted us,” Lions safety Kerby Joseph said. “They did. They definitely did doubt us. But that just made us go harder. We love being an underdog. They didn't really believe we could do it. So we came out here and we did it."
One of the defensive stars was Amik Roberston, a cornerback who finished with five tackles and a pass defense.
“We've been counted out since the beginning,” said fellow corner Terrion Arnold, who injured his ankle and was wearing a walking boot after the game. “Just give praise to Amik. All he needed was opportunity. This guy has been doubted his whole life, judged because of his height, and then when the occasion mattered the most, like, the guy played elite football.”
Amazing goal-line stands
Four times the Vikings got into the red zone, and three times within the 10-yard line. But the Lions held the Vikings out of the end zone, like they had put up a giant roadblock, giving up just a pair of field goals.
Yes, some of that was Darnold, who was overthrew a couple of wide receivers in the end zone.
But most of that was Glenn’s defense.
“We just did our job,” said linebacker Jack Campbell, who had six tackles. “That's the main thing. Did our job. Forced them into tight windows. Challenged on contested catches. I feel like we did a hell of a job.”
It wasn’t just one play. It wasn’t just one player. It was all of them. The defensive line getting just enough pressure and defensive backs sticking to receivers like glue and nobody blowing an assignment and nobody doing anything stupid like grabbing a receiver at a big moment. Some of these plays seemed to last forever. But this defense held.
This was a masterclass in goal-line stands.
It was like watching a home run hitter blast balls over the fence, only to have outfielders keep jumping up, timing it perfectly, and bringing them back.
You wanna know the amazing part?
If the Lions defense can play like this, they can not only get to the Super Bowl, but they can win it.
Maybe that defense came together and played so well because Alex Anzalone returned on Sunday night — he's the coach on the field. Heck, I think he would have played with only one arm. Which is basically what he did.
“He's a great player, having him back just helped me relay calls and be a leader out there,” Campbell said about Anzalone.
What a performance. By all of them.
"He's a stud," quarterback Jared Goff said about Anzalone. "He's an absolute stud."
Time to reflect on this accomplishment
While there are more games to play, more season to go, this was monumental.
It is the culmination of great drafting, great coaching and some players playing great.
"A special group of guys," Campbell said.
What a night.
What a great defensive effort.
Take a week off, boys — you earned it.
Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on X @seideljeff. To read his recent columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel.