Vikings miss chance to claim NFC North crown on back of Darnold’s poor performance
Heading into the 272nd and final game of the 2024 NFL regular season, the Minnesota Vikings had it all to play for – but they failed miserably.
IMAGE: Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold reacts after a play during the second half of Sunday’s loss to the Lions at Ford Field in Detroit (NurPhoto/Getty Images)
The Minnesota Vikings travelled to Ford Field earlier this week to face off the Detroit Lions in the last game of the regular season on the back of a nine-game win streak – their longest since 1975. A win would see them claim their 22nd divisional title, along with their first 15-win season and #1 seeding since 1998.
A tie wouldn’t be enough for the Vikings to claim the division, with the Lions holding the tiebreaker courtesy of their 31-29 victory over the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium in week 7. In that game Lions kicker Jake Bates gave his team the lead after he hit a 44-yard field goal with just 15 seconds remaining.
But instead of getting a bye next week and having home ground advantage until the Super Bowl, the Vikings couldn’t score a touchdown against an increasingly depleted Lions defence, losing 31-9.