The Lions aim, no, the plan, is for it to happen again this weekend as they look to secure the NFC North championship with a victory over the Vikings in Minnesota on Sunday. That’s all it will take, sooner rather than later, since the Lions play another game at Ford Field on 7 January to end the regular season against the Vikings. Dan Campbell’s squad would also benefit from a victory in Dallas the following week and a Minnesota defeat at home against Green Bay on New Year’s Eve, since the Lions’ chances of winning the division—something they haven’t done since 1993—are now one in one hundred.
The head coach of the Lions, however, would tell you from experience that there is no mystery here on how his club will attempt to break that drought. He begins by giving his team a straightforward holiday directive: no peeping. “We discussed that as a team this morning,” Campbell remarked on Monday, a little over 48 hours after the Lions’ 42-17 victory over Denver at Ford Field all but guaranteed them a postseason spot.’
But qualifying for the playoffs was not the main objective. It was the Lions’ first-ever home playoff game since they relocated back to downtown Detroit a generation ago, along with winning the NFC North. And that’s precisely the message Campbell gave his players on Monday morning in Allen Park: they must finish this present before they can worry about what comes next, such as home-field advantage or playoff matchups.
With three weeks remaining in the regular season, Campbell’s 10-4 squad leads the Vikings by three games. “That was the focus when we entered (the season) and that is still the focus,” Campbell stated. “We will do everything.”/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69807273/1234662357.0.jpg)
He is also aware that the more they wait, the harder it will be. The math doesn’t appear to be as easy for the Lions, who are currently 86 percent favourites to win the division, if they lose on Sunday in Minneapolis. The Vikings welcome a Packers squad that they defeated by two touchdowns at Lambeau Field in late October, while the Lions will travel to play the Cowboys, who have won all of their home games this season. The Lions and Vikings would play at Ford Field in Week 18 to determine who would win the North if the home team wins both of those games
