The Detroit Lions have one goal in mind for the final two weeks of the regular season. Head coach Dan Campbell and his players want to win the NFC North title and also come away with the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. The Minnesota Lions and Vikings are tied for pole position as both teams are 13-2. Technically, the Lions are in first place because they were victorious in the first match between the two teams.
The division title and No. 1 seed could be decided in the final game of the season when the Lions host the Vikings. However, if the Vikings win their Week 17 game at home against the Green Bay Packers, Detroit’s Monday night game against the San Francisco 49ers will be relatively meaningless. Whether they win or lose this game, they could still win both the division title and the No. 1 seed if they win the season finale.
Campbell said his team won’t take their foot off the gas, no matter the circumstances. “I’m going to make it easy for everyone, that way all the critics can jump in and start attacking, but that way you don’t have to debate it anymore,” the head coach said. “We bring everything we have to this game and we play, I don’t care what it looks like, where it is and who is this, who is that. We are going to play and win this game, on the West Coast. So there you go.
The Lions want revenge on the 49ers
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In addition to maintaining full momentum in their work throughout the season, Campbell and the Lions would like to add to the 49ers’ pain this season. The Lions met the 49ers in the NFC title game a year ago, and Detroit nearly pulled off a victory in that game that would have advanced them to the first Super Bowl in team history. Instead, the 49ers recorded a 34-31 triumph.
The Lions have one of the strongest offensive teams in the league as they are led by quarterback Jared Goff and receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Goff is one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the league. He completed 337 of 472 passes for 4,095 yards with 33 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, completing 71.4 percent of his passes for a passer rating of 112.2.
St. Brown knows how to get open and is at his best when the game is on the line. He has 101 receptions for 1,126 yards with 11 touchdowns and 13 receptions of 20 yards or more.
Steve Silverman has covered the NFL for more than 35 years and his writing has appeared in ESPN Magazine, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, Pro Football Weekly and Forbes.com. He has written 10 books, including “Who’s Better, Who’s Best in the NFL.”
