Sam Darnold missed on opportunities in the red zone and beyond, and Minnesota landed in the wild-card round for a Monday night game against the Rams.

Jahmyr Gibbs had four touchdowns, and the Lions beat Minnesota 31-9 on Sunday night to win their second straight NFC North title and earn home-field advantage until the Super Bowl.

At least the Minnesota Vikings will make some history next week. They’ll be the first 14-win wild-card playoff team in NFL history. There can be complaints about the NFL overemphasizing its divisions,

Darnold played poorly on Sunday night against the Lions. His resilience will determine the Vikings' postseason fate in the coming weeks.

The next time Minnesota stopped the Lions came with 27 seconds to play. Darnold took a knee, ending the game and sending the Vikings to face old rival Matthew Stafford on Monday night. They are the NFL’s first 14-win wild-card team.

The Vikings had an interception inside the Detroit 10-yard line, three tackles for losses of 18 yards, an 11-yard sack and a pass batted down by tackle Jonathan Bullard on fourth-and-1 … and still trailed 10-6 at halftime of Sunday night’s 31-9 loss to the Lions at Ford Field.

Everything always gets crazy during the final week of the NFL regular season, and this year was no different. It lasted all the way until the final game of Week 18 to determine what the 2025 NFL playoff picture would look like with Wild Card Weekend ahead.

The NFL playoff picture is about to be complete. Check back throughout Week 18 for updates on AFC and NFC scenarios, as well as wild-card matchups.

The playoff picture is almost set. Here’s how the NFL playoff picture looks after the Sunday afternoon games of Week 18: DIVISION LEADERS 1. Detroit Lions (14-2): Clinched a playoff berth, will clinch the No.