MINNEAPOLIS – The Detroit Lions might have just picked up their biggest win of the regular season by going into Minnesota and knocking off the first-place Vikings.
I know, I know. It‘s a long season, and we‘re only in Week 7. But when we look back in early January, there’s no telling which game will end up being the most important.
Last year, Detroit‘s biggest win was probably in Week 4 at Green Bay. We didn‘t know it at the time, but that’s the only outcome that, if reversed, might have put the division title at risk.
That‘s why I think we might look back at the 2024 regular season and point to Sunday’s win over the Vikings as the one that mattered the most.
Think about if Jake Bates had missed his game-winning 44-yard field goal.
The Lions would still be in a pretty decent position in terms of playoff positioning, at 4-2. But they would be a full two games behind the Vikings in the NFC North race, and the Vikings would have an early leg up in the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Remember: Winning the NFC North is the single most important priority during the regular season. No division title means no home playoff games (most likely). And Ford Field is the greatest advantage in the sport these days.
Not only would the Lions be two games back without the head-to-head tiebreaker, but even if they won the Week 18 rematch, the Vikings would be in good position to win the next tiebreaker, with a perfect division and conference record.
They’ve also notched wins over three key common opponents: the 49ers, Packers, and Texans.
Losing on Sunday would have put the Lions in a very precarious position in the NFC North, especially with the Vikings about to play the Rams, Colts, Jaguars, and Titans over the next month -- four of the easiest games on their schedule.
But instead, the Lions found a way to win, and the entire feel of this division has changed.
The Lions are now tied with the Vikings at 5-1, and they won the first head-to-head meeting on the road, which gives them a huge advantage.
Even if it does come down to the rematch, the Lions would control their own destiny, with a chance to sweep the Vikings at home, in front of a pseudo-playoff crowd in Ford Field.
The Lions also stayed one step ahead of the Packers -- who beat the Texans to improve to 5-2 -- and the Bears -- who are on bye at 4-2.
In the race for the No. 1 seed in the NFC, this win gave the Lions a three-game lead over the 49ers in the loss column. That means even if the 49ers beat the Lions in Week 17, they have to make up two additional games' worth of ground between now and the end of the season -- a tall task.
So instead of playing the next couple months from behind, and trying to chase down the Vikings, the Lions are suddenly back in the driver‘s seat. There aren’t many regular-season games that create that type of seismic shift.
Obviously, the way this division plays out will dictate which games ultimately matter the most. If the Packers overtake the Vikings, those games against Green Bay will have more meaning, and same goes for Chicago.
But the Vikings have already gone into Lambeau Field and beat the Packers, and until about 20 hours ago, they were the last undefeated team in the NFC.
So I think there‘s a good chance the Vikings are Detroit’s biggest competition. After all, it’s not like this was a decisive win for the Lions -- the two teams were separated by just two points and eight total yards. The game was a virtual tossup.
Going into Minnesota and knocking off the Vikings immediately gave the Lions an inside track to the NFC North. That‘s why Sunday mattered so much, and it’s why I think this will end up being the biggest win of the season.
