Everything Minnesota Vikings Fans Need to Know ahead of Week 18 at the Detroit Lions
Folks, it all comes down to this.
The past four months have been a magical ride for the Minnesota Vikings, who sit at 14-2 with the road to the NFC North crown and No. 1 seed in the NFC entirely in their control heading into Week 18.
That is when the Vikings will face off with the Detroit Lions, who also sit at 14-2… and also control their own path to the NFC North crown and the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Everything comes down to Sunday night’s result between these two juggernauts, and here is a look at everything Vikings fans need to know heading into that matchup.
How to Watch the Minnesota Vikings This Week
Rightfully so, the Lions and Vikings will conclude the Week 18 slate with a primetime matchup on Sunday Night Football. The game is set to kick off at 7:20 PM Central on Sunday, January 5 inside Ford Field. It is being broadcast on NBC, so as a result, it can also be streamed on Peacock. It can also be streamed on NFL+ in the NFL app as well as via Sunday NFL Ticket through YouTube TV.
Lions/Vikings History
The Lions and Vikings have met a grand total of 126 times in the histories of the two franchises, with the Vikings leading the all-time series with a 80-44-2 record.
However, the Lions have owned the Vikings recently, winning four consecutive matchups in the series going back December 11, 2022. This includes a narrow victory over Minnesota back in Week 7. The 127th meeting between the two teams will carry more weight than any before it, though.
Lions Spotlight Player: RB Jahmyr Gibbs
Of all the Detroit weapons that the Vikings need to worry about on Sunday night, Jahmyr Gibbs may be at the top of the list. The star running back tore up the Vikings’ defense in Week 7, which was a big reason that Detroit was able to pull off a comeback victory against Minnesota on that day.
Gibbs totaled 160 yards from scrimmage in that game as well as two touchdowns on his 19 touches. Gibbs has a knack for turning nothing into something; turning small gains into explosive chunk plays in the blink of an eye. Going back to that Week 7 game, Gibbs has totaled 100+ scrimmage yards in eight of his past 11 games and has totaled 12 touchdowns.
The Vikings will have a bit of an advantage this time around, though, in the fact that Gibbs’ running mate, David Montgomery, is shelved with a knee injury.
Vikings Spotlight Player: TE T.J. Hockenson
I mean, who else could it be in this situation? Not only does T.J. Hockenson have a chance to cause heartbreak to his old team that traded him away, but he can get a little taste of revenge after the Lions derailed the early portions of his 2024 season due to a torn ACL/MCL suffered against Detroit on Christmas Eve 2023.
The Lions’ defense has seen players hit the shelf left and right in recent weeks. All of their attention in the secondary will be going towards slowing down the dynamic combo of Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson. This should result in some open looks for Hockenson in the middle of the field.
Plus, it would be very sweet for Hockenson to get his first touchdown of the season against his former team. Perhaps it comes in a game-sealing, division-clinching, No. 1 seed-claiming play at the end of the game?
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
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