Covert lip-reading expertise weren’t essential to decipher Sunday’s postgame trade between Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell and Minnesota Vikings counterpart Kevin O’Connell.
“I’ll see you in two weeks,” Campbell clearly and audibly mentioned.
These six phrases presuppose the outcomes of three yet-to-be-contested NFC wild-card video games. Moments after the Lions clinched the NFC North and home-field benefit all through the convention playoffs with a 31-9 victory towards the visiting Vikings, Campbell had his division rivals pegged for a return to Ford Discipline within the divisional spherical.
Regardless of the case, the newly maudlin among the many once-buzzing Minnesota trustworthy ought to like what they heard. To an opposing coach, anyway, the Vikings, tied with Philadelphia for the second fewest losses in soccer, are usually not in a state of 14 and 3-fall.
Phases of Sunday night time’s sport absolutely advised in any other case.
Primed to safe the division crown and home-field benefit that in the end went to the Lions (15-2), the Vikings sputtered as an alternative. Quarterback Sam Darnold was 18-for-41 passing for a season-low 166 yards with zero touchdowns and interceptions. His completion proportion (43.9) additionally marked a season worst, and whereas Darnold’s quarterback ranking (55.5) and QBR (17.4) didn’t attain his 2024 cellar, they weren’t precisely optimum for somebody guiding the assault of the winningest workforce in league historical past to not declare its division.
“Don’t get me flawed; shedding sucks,” Darnold mentioned. “However it’s what it’s on the finish of the day. I missed some throws and we misplaced to an excellent workforce.”
O’Connell took an identical tack about an injury-plagued Lions protection that restricted Minnesota to a meager 262 yards of offense and was particularly stout in clutch conditions, maintaining the Vikings out of the tip zone on 4 visits to the crimson zone whereas stiffening in goal-line conditions.
“They have been capable of defend us,” O’Connell mentioned. “Generally that occurs.”
All of it smacked of, “Oh, nicely. We’ll get ‘em subsequent time.”
Make no mistake, a 3rd Vikings-Lions matchup may materialize if Philadelphia defeats Inexperienced Bay and Tampa Bay handles Washington earlier than Minnesota exorcises the demons of one other regular-season rematch.
Fifth-seeded Minnesota travels to No. 4 Los Angeles on Jan. 13, roughly 2 ½ months after the host Rams dealt with the Vikings 30-20 in the identical venue.
The Vikings trailed 21-17 coming into the fourth quarter in Week 8, staying afloat behind a pair of Darnold scoring passes.
The Minnesota protection struggled to comprise a Rams offense lastly working in any respect cylinders, although, as LA QB Matthew Stafford wasted little time getting reacquainted with receivers Cooper Kupp (two TD receptions) and Puka Nacua (106 yards) of their returns from harm.
Minnesota rolled to 9 straight victories after that. The run ended Sunday night time. With a thud.
The Lions and Rams are the one groups to defeat the Vikings this season. If Minnesota is to meet Campbell’s prophecy and return to Detroit—and ideally past—the Vikings should channel the effectivity and fundamentals that helped them by way of each different sport this season.
“You’ll be able to’t win 9 in a row after which lose one and have that change how we function,” O’Connell mentioned. “However that additionally doesn’t imply you possibly can’t enhance. … Generally you’re hit within the mouth slightly bit and also you’ve received to reply.”
The Vikings will get their likelihood within the wild-card spherical.
