After the Detroit Lions saw their fortunes take a pleasant turn with the Washington Commanders’ upset of the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon, it appeared possible the Minnesota Vikings would extend the favor by losing to the Seahawks in Seattle.

With two games to go, here's what the Lions need to have happen to clinch the NFC's No. 1 seed and secure a first-round bye.

Evidence of such a crime against the Purple can be traced to the social media platform X, where the Detroit Lions on Tap account minimized Minnesota's successful season, exclaiming with obvious sarcasm "Great job" after pointing out the Vikings' modest strength of victory statistic.

A late 39-yard touchdown from Sam Darnold to Justin Jefferson lifted the Vikings to their eighth straight win.

Both the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings won in Week 15, creating a tie atop the NFC as all three teams have 12-2 records. As it stands, Detroit currently holds the advantage over both teams. The Lions have a better record in the NFC than the Eagles, while they have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Vikings.

The Detroit Lions picked up their 13th win Sunday, the most in franchise history, with a 34-17 win over the Chicago Bears in Week 16.

Coming into this 2024 NFL season, the Minnesota Vikings weren't expected to be any kind of genuine threat in the NFC. But with two weeks to go, here they are. I

He was pressured by Vikings all-everything defender Josh ... if the standings hold. Minnesota hosts the Packers next week and then travels to Detroit to take on the Lions in what could be a de facto NFC North title game, and also determine home-field ...

Since firing Matt Eberflus — the ultimate wake-up call — the Bears have fallen behind 24-0, 13-0 and 20-0 in three losses under interim coach Thomas Brown. Can they give Bears fans an indication that Caleb Williams isn’t the only hope for 2025?

The Los Angeles Rams (9-6) are atop the NFC West standings and have a chance to clinch the division next week with a home win over the Arizona Cardinals (7-8).