The match between the Vikings and the Lions will be presented at 8 p.m. Sunday on RDS2 and RDS.ca.
PREMATCH
The Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings will conclude the NFL regular season with an unprecedented, high-stakes matchup on Sunday night.
The Lions (14-2) and Vikings (14-2) will become the first teams in history to meet in the regular season with at least 13 wins each and a combined total of 28 wins.
“It’s unique,” admitted Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell.
It’s also quite important.
The winners will earn the NFC North title, home-field advantage through the Super Bowl and a coveted bye week to begin the playoffs.
The losers will begin the playoffs on the road next week, even though they finished the season with a 14-3 record.
“It’s exciting, but it’s not like it’s the playoffs,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said.
-The Lions have been aiming for first place in the Association since losing that advantage last season after a controversial loss at Dallas late in the regular season. The loss sent the Lions on the road to San Francisco, where they squandered a 17-point lead in the third quarter.
“You come out of this game and feel like it gives you the best chance to get to the ultimate goal, which is, as we all know, the Super Bowl,” Campbell said.
The Lions entered the season with ambitions of reaching the Super Bowl for the first time in organizational history and they appear to be contenders, having won 12 of their last 13 games.
The Vikings, meanwhile, entered the campaign with modest expectations and ultimately exceeded those. They won their first five duals and won their last nine matches to be in position to defeat the defending section champions on their home court.
“We knew we had to win a lot of football games to keep up with a team that has been one of the two best teams, if not the best, in the league for most of the year,” said O’Connell.
Vikings running back Aaron Jones said he and his teammates always knew they had what it took to be among the best in the NFL.
“We weren’t on anyone’s radar,” Jones said. But it’s never been dark since we got here. There’s always been light, it’s always fun to be here. »
