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Minnesota Vikings 9-31 Detroit Lions: Lions take No 1 seed in NFC playoffs with convincing win in Week 18

The Detroit Lions clinch No 1 seed in NFC playoffs as Jahmyr Gibbs stars in 31-9 win over the Minnesota Vikings; Gibbs only second Detroit running back, after Barry Sanders, to score four touchdowns in a game; Minnesota finish No 5 seed in NFC and will face Los Angeles Rams on January 13

Monday 6 January 2025 09:43, UK

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Highlights as Detroit Lions secured a 31-9 win over the Minnesota Vikings to clinch the No 1 seed in the NFC playoffs

Detroit Lions pulled away for a 31-9 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night to secure the No 1 seed in the NFC playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

The Lions clinched the NFC North title for the second straight year after ending the Vikings' nine-game winning streak and will have a bye next week before home advantage throughout the conference playoffs.

Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 139 yards and three straight touchdowns in the second half for four overall, while Jared Goff completed 27 of 33 passes for 231 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for Detroit (15-2).

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Sam Darnold completed 18 of 41 passes for 166 yards for Minnesota (14-3) who failed to score a touchdown and will enter the postseason as a wild-card team and the No 5 seed in the NFC.

The Vikings travel to California to face the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Rams on January 13.

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Stats leaders

Minnesota Vikings:

  • Passing: Sam Darnold, 18/41, 166 yards
  • Rushing: Cam Akers, 6 carries, 58 yards
  • Receiving: Justin Jefferson, 3 catches, 54 yards

Detroit Lions:

Also See:

  • Passing: Jared Goff, 27/33, 231 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
  • Rushing: Jahmyr Gibbs, 23 carries, 139 yards, 3 TDs
  • Receiving: Amon-Ra St. Brown, 6 catches, 77 yards

Scoring summary

FIRST QUARTER
Minnesota 0-7 Detroit Jahmyr Gibbs 25-yard rush (Jake Bates kick)
SECOND QUARTER
Minnesota 3-7 Detroit Will Reichard 25-yard field goal
Minnesota 6-7 Detroit Will Reichard 15-yard field goal
Minnesota 6-10 Detroit Jake Bates 48-yard field goal
THIRD QUARTER
Minnesota 9-10 Detroit Will Reichard 51-yard field goal
Minnesota 9-17 Detroit Jared Goff 10-yard TD pass to Jahmyr Gibbs
FOURTH QUARTER
Minnesota 9-24 Detroit Jahmyr Gibbs 14-yard rush (Jake Bates kick)
Minnesota 9-31 Detroit Jahmyr Gibbs four-yard rush (Jake Bates kick)

Gibbs stars as Lions win NFC North

Detroit were clinging to a 10-9 lead when Gibbs caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Goff with 2:30 remaining in the third quarter.

Gibbs then added a 13-yard rushing touchdown to increase Detroit's lead to 24-9 with 13:06 remaining in the fourth but the running back was not finished.

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (Associated Press)
Image: Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (Associated Press)

He powered across the goal line for a four-yard touchdown to make it 31-9 with 5:14 to go to join Barry Sanders as the only running backs in team history to score four touchdowns in a game.

Gibbs recorded the franchise record for most rushing and receiving touchdowns in a single season (20), surpassing the previous mark of 17 set by Sanders in 1991 and matched by Jamaal Williams in 2022.

Detroit opened the scoring with 1:43 remaining in the first quarter when Gibbs cut to his left and sprinted for a 25-yard touchdown.

The Vikings pulled within 7-6 after back-to-back field goals by Will Reichard but Jake Bates hit a 48-yard field goal to give Detroit a 10-6 advantage at the break.

Reichard then made his third field goal of the game, a 51-yarder, to cut the Vikings' deficit to 10-9 with just under 10 minutes left in the third quarter.

Watch the NFL playoffs live on Sky Sports or stream with NOW.