Week Eighteen: Minnesota Vikings (14-2) @ Detroit Lions (14-2)

[MichiganCardinal]

          vs.          

Setting: 01/05/2025 8:20pm EST on NBC

Site: Ford Field in Detroit, MI

Weather: Climate Controlled

Opening Spread: Lions -2.5

All-Time Series Record: Vikings lead, 80-44-2

Last Meeting: 10/20/2024, Lions won 31-29

 

Minnesota Vikings (14-2)

Head Coach: Kevin O'Connell (3rd Season: 34-16)

Projected Starting QB: Sam Darnold (7th Season: 35-37)

Last Week: 27-25 W v. Green Bay Packers (11-5)

Playoff Implications: Clinches NFC North and #1 seed in NFC with victory. Otherwise, #5 seed.

 

Your Detroit Lions (14-2)

Head Coach: Dan Campbell (4th Season: 38-28-1)

Projected Starting QB: Jared Goff (9th Season: 80-52-1)

Last Week: 40-34 W @ San Francisco 49ers (6-10)

Playoff Implications: Clinches NFC North and #1 seed in NFC with victory. Otherwise, #5 seed.

 

Elsewhere in the NFL

Saturday: Browns @ Ravens (4:30pm), Bengals @ Steelers (8:00pm)

1:00pm: Panthers @ Falcons, Commanders @ Cowboys, Bears @ Packers, Jaguars @ Colts, Bills @ Patriots, Giants @ Eagles, Saints @ Buccaneers, Texans @ Titans

4:25pm: 49ers @ Cardinals, Chiefs @ Broncos, Seahawks @ Rams, Chargers @ Raiders, Dolphins @ Jets

 

[lordstanley]

Hard to believe this could be the Lions' last home game of the season. On the other hand, if you're an optimist, the Lions may have already played their last road game of the season, not counting the neutral site Super Bowl.

[Motown Bombers]

When was the last time the Lions and Vikings played in primetime? The Lions and Packers have had multiple primetime games. The Lions and Bears had some primetime games back in the Cutler days, but I can't remember a Lions-Vikings primetime game. 

[MichiganCardinal]

3 minutes ago, Motown Bombers said:

When was the last time the Lions and Vikings played in primetime? The Lions and Packers have had multiple primetime games. The Lions and Bears had some primetime games back in the Cutler days, but I can't remember a Lions-Vikings primetime game. 

They played on Thanksgiving in 2016 and 2017. The last time they played a game past 1:00pm though was in 2014, when they played in the 4:25pm slot. The last time they played in real primetime though was Thursday Night Football before Thursday Night Football was a thing. November 30, 2000.

[Tigeraholic1]

Damn, 2000 will be 25 years ago tomorrow........

[Sports_Freak]

Let the guy get all his venting out now and spare us all...🤣🤣🤣

 

[Sports_Freak]

4 hours ago, MichiganCardinal said:

They played on Thanksgiving in 2016 and 2017. The last time they played a game past 1:00pm though was in 2014, when they played in the 4:25pm slot. The last time they played in real primetime though was Thursday Night Football before Thursday Night Football was a thing. November 30, 2000.

I bet it wasn't streamed...lol

[Tenacious D]

2 minutes ago, Sports_Freak said:

Let the guy get all his venting out now and spare us all...🤣🤣🤣

 

I don’t understand how you can find fault in him.  If anything, he should be praised for holding it together with a bunch of guys who were on practice squads a few weeks back.

[Jason_R]

There was a guy on defense last night who I’d never heard of. Ezekiel Turner, #47. When I looked him up I kind of remembered having read he got signed in November. He got 9% of snaps at LB. 

[Sports_Freak]

1 hour ago, Tenacious D said:

I don’t understand how you can find fault in him.  If anything, he should be praised for holding it together with a bunch of guys who were on practice squads a few weeks back.

Oh, I'm very happy with him. I was just trying to get a point across to the guy on this board who says he's the worst coach in the history of coaching. 🤣🤣

[Sports_Freak]

100% of Lion losses this season come....at home. Gulp...

[Hongbit]

21 minutes ago, Jason_R said:

There was a guy on defense last night who I’d never heard of. Ezekiel Turner, #47. When I looked him up I kind of remembered having read he got signed in November. He got 9% of snaps at LB. 

I did the same with Miles Adams. 

[Jason_R]

23 minutes ago, Hongbit said:

I did the same with Miles Adams. 

Who?

[Jason_R]

https://lionswire.usatoday.com/lists/best-and-worst-pff-grades-for-lions-from-week-17-vs-49ers/?taid=677471c37f2ea00001081bdb&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=twitter
Nothing against Allen Robinson but I don’t know how a guy with one catch outscores Kerby Joseph, who had two interceptions, in the PFF rankings. 

[Sports_Freak]

In case anyone cares;

 

[Sports_Freak]

Posted in the wrong thread. Doh!!

 

[lordstanley]

4 minutes ago, Sports_Freak said:

Posted in the wrong thread. Doh!!

 

"He will play, you know he will play. He will play on crutches. He will play".

 

[lordstanley]

 

[MichiganCardinal]

2 hours ago, Sports_Freak said:

In case anyone cares;

 

The Detroit Times is going to join Woodward Sports on my blocked list. This is not official. Their source is just that the Lions posted a picture of a black and neon Lion on Twitter with the caption “guess who’s back?” Which could definitely just mean Sunday Night Football.

They were supposed to wear their throwbacks for this game. They would have to receive special permission from the NFL to change their configuration this late in the game. I’d bet they wear the throwbacks.

[Jason_R]

17 minutes ago, MichiganCardinal said:

The Detroit Times is going to join Woodward Sports on my blocked list. This is not official.

Yes, they linked this story to Ian Rapaport’s X account but I could not find anything to this effect in his posts.

It would be a massive development if Anzalone can play. 

[Sports_Freak]

41 minutes ago, MichiganCardinal said:

The Detroit Times is going to join Woodward Sports on my blocked list. This is not official. Their source is just that the Lions posted a picture of a black and neon Lion on Twitter with the caption “guess who’s back?” Which could definitely just mean Sunday Night Football.

They were supposed to wear their throwbacks for this game. They would have to receive special permission from the NFL to change their configuration this late in the game. I’d bet they wear the throwbacks.

Yeah, I've noticed they're wrong quite a bit.

[Motown Bombers]

 

[Jason_R]

 

[Motown Bombers]

Not going to lie, when the Lions signed Anzalone, I did not expect him to be an important cog in a 14-2 Super Bowl contender. 

[lordstanley]

By the way, am currently reading this book. Focused on Ford incompetence, not surprisingly, which isnt something we don’t already know, lol. About 1/3 of the way through, am up to 1968. Apparently coach Joe Schmidt and others wanted to draft Kenny Stabler but were overruled by Russ Thomas who chose Landry  

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/205885610-the-lions-finally-roar