The NFL season will sometimes show us what we want to see from players; other times, we may see something bad when it isn't

Here are five takeaways from the Vikings’ 31-9 loss to the Lions. There’s no way around it: In the biggest game of his career to this point, quarterback Sam Darnold was completely consumed by the moment. He seemed rattled from the first time he touched the ball and only completed 18 of 41 passes for 166 yards.

It’s back to work for the Vikings, who open the playoffs Monday night in Los Angeles against the Rams. That work will begin with head coach Kevin O’Connell trying to get quarterback Sam Darnold back on track after a humbling loss in Detroit.

Detroit Lions must win 3 games in NFL playoffs 2025 to win the franchise's first-ever Super Bowl. Here are our game picks through the entire bracket.

The Detroit Lions’ win over the Minnesota Vikings in the final game of the 2024 NFL regular season clinched the NFC North, as well as the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. More importantly for the Lions,

It’s hard to root against the Detroit Lions this season. After years of not being able to get over the hump, the Lions have won the NFC North in back-to-back years and clinched the number one overall seed in the NFC for the first time in franchise history.