No matter the play, MLive photojournalists Neil Blake and Jake May were there to document the action, on and off of the field at Sunday night’s showdown between the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings.

With the NFC North title and No. 1 seed in the playoffs on the line, the Vikings offense and Sam Darnold struggled under pressure while Jahmyr Gibbs scored four TDs for the Lions.

Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings return to the West Coast for a rematch with Sean McVay and the Rams to open their postseason play.

In a battle for NFC supremacy on Sunday Night Football, the Detroit Lions came out on top. The Lions took down the Minnesota Vikings by the final score

The Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions faced off in one of the most consequential Week 18 matchups in quite some time. The winner of this game would clinch the NFC North and earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC. With the top seed, the winning team would receive a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

The willingness to spend gave the Vikings a noticeable contingent of purple and gold in the stands behind the visitors bench.

The Minnesota Vikings will face the Detroit Lions in week 18 of the NFL season at Ford Field on Sunday Night Football, January 5th. WATCH: Vikings vs Lions Live

The winner of the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings game Sunday night will be the 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. Follow score updates from Ford Field.

The refs didn't do the Vikings any favors, but it may not have mattered with how poorly Minnesota performed in the red zone.

The Los Angeles Rams host the Minnesota Vikings in the opening round of the 2025 NFL playoffs. The Rams earned the No. 4 seed in the NFC as the champions of the NFC West while the Minnesota Vikings qualified for the postseason as a wild card and the No.

The NFC is wide open and that could lead to many thrilling playoff games.  Over in the AFC, there’s a clear gap after the power trio of the Kansas City Chiefs,