Covert lip-reading abilities 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 stated.
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, usually are not in a state of 14 and 3-fall.
Phases of Sunday night time’s recreation certainly urged in any other case.
Primed to safe the division crown and home-field benefit that finally went to the Lions (15-2), the Vikings sputtered as a substitute. Quarterback Sam Darnold was 18-for-41 passing for a season-low 166 yards with zero touchdowns and interceptions. His completion share (43.9) additionally marked a season worst, and whereas Darnold’s quarterback score (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 staff in league historical past to not declare its division.
“Don’t get me mistaken; shedding sucks,” Darnold stated. “However it’s what it’s on the finish of the day. I missed some throws and we misplaced to a very good staff.”
O’Connell took an analogous tack about an injury-plagued Lions protection that restricted Minnesota to a meager 262 yards of offense and was particularly stout in clutch conditions, preserving the Vikings out of the tip zone on 4 visits to the pink zone whereas stiffening in goal-line conditions.
“They had been in a position to defend us,” O’Connell stated. “Generally that occurs.”
All of it smacked of, “Oh, properly. 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 satisfy Campbell’s prophecy and return to Detroit—and ideally past—the Vikings should channel the effectivity and fundamentals that helped them via each different recreation 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 stated. “However that additionally doesn’t imply you’ll be able to’t enhance. … Generally you’re hit within the mouth a bit bit and also you’ve bought to reply.”
The Vikings will get their probability within the wild-card spherical.
