Jahmyr Gibbs scores 4 touchdowns as Lions beat Vikings to win NFC North, secure No. 1 seed in playoffs

The Detroit Lions are the NFC North champions, as they dominated the Minnesota Vikings, 31-9, to win the division title in back-to-back seasons.

Not only have they been crowned division champions, but the Lions will also be the top seed in the NFC playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

Meanwhile, Vikings are the No. 5 seed as the best of the three wild card teams in the NFC. Instead of a bye week, they will head to Los Angeles to face the Rams next weekend.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS REPORTS ON FOXNEWS.COM

“Game of the Year” was written all over the place, as the two best offenses in the league matched up to determine who would get the top seed and the division title in 60 minutes of play.

But the shooting was not seen at Ford Field on Sunday night, and much of that had to do with the tremendous pressure Aaron Glenn’s Lions defense was putting on Sam Darnold and the Vikings offense.

On the other hand, the Lions used the man who leads NFL in a touchdown this season, Jahmyr Gibbs, who added four more to his total in this pivotal game.

JAY GLAZER: ‘MULTIPLE TEAMS’ INTERESTED IN ME FOR VIKINGS HC KEVIN O’CONNELL

Gibbs, who is getting more play with the loss of fellow backfielder David Montgomery, capped the Lions’ 9-yard drive with a 25-yard punt into the end zone to give the Lions a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. .

It was surprisingly the only touchdown scored in the first half, but Gibbs gave Detroit the lead in the second half when head coach Dan Campbell went for it on fourth-and-two from Minnesota’s 10-yard line and Jared Goff threw the ball to his wide-open back for a 10-yard score.

Then, after the Vikings missed a deep field goal attempt, Gibbs found another crease, this time going for 13 yards to blow the game open, 24-9, early in the fourth quarter.

Now, this game could have been a lot closer if Darnold, who has been one of the best running backs in the NFL all season, had capitalized on his opportunities in the red zone.

Early in the second quarter, Darnold had a first down for the Vikings at Detroit’s 5-yard line, but failed to get into the end zone on a couple of errant throws to Justin Jefferson, while also failing to see a wide open Jordan Addison in the flat.

Then, after the Vikings defense sacked Goff the first of two times, Minnesota couldn’t find the end zone from the seven-yard line this time, and Darnold saw more bad throws.

Darnold was pestered all game as Glenn turned up the pressure, forcing the Vikings star to speed up his “quarterback clock” as he went through his progressions. He ended up going 18-for-41 for 166 yards – his lowest all season – as the Vikings didn’t score a touchdown the entire game.

The victory was sealed by Gibbs’ fourth touchdown of the game, an action he carried all the way down the Lions’ field. It started with a 47-yard run to push him over 100 yards rushing on the night.

Then, after the Lions forced the Vikings to punt into the neutral zone on fourth-and-2, Gibbs stormed into the endzone, carrying multiple Vikings defenders with him for a four-yard run for his fourth touchdown of the night. .

Gibbs finished the game with 139 yards rushing on 23 carries and 31 yards receiving in his big night, while Amon-Ra St. Brown had six catches for 77 yards and led the Lions through the air.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Goff was 27-for-33 for 231 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

With this conclusion of the NFC North, the 2024 NFL regular season has come to an end and the playoffs are set for Wild Card Weekend in a few days.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports broadcast on Xand subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.