Lions take down Vikings to win NFC North, clinch No. 1 seed - ESPN

DETROIT — Jahmyr Gibbs scored three of his franchise-record-tying four touchdowns in the second half, and the Detroit Lions beat the Minnesota Vikings 31-9 on Sunday night to win their second straight NFC North title and earn home-field advantage until the Super Bowl.

«Everybody's got to come through here, baby!» Detroit defensive end Za'Darius Smith said to the roaring crowd after the game.

The Lions (15-2) and Vikings (14-3) could meet again in two weeks.

Detroit will have a much-needed bye for its banged-up team during the first week of the playoffs while Minnesota plays at the NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams next Monday night. The Vikings opened as -2.5 favorites, per ESPN BET.

In the NFL's final game before the playoffs, two teams played in the regular season with a combined 28 victories for the first time. A No. 1 seed was determined in a regular-season finale for the third time in three-plus decades.

Dallas wrapped up the 1993 regular season against the New York Giants with a 16-13 overtime win to give the Cowboys top seeding they used to their advantage as they advanced to and won the Super Bowl. The Giants, meanwhile, beat Minnesota in the wild-card round and were routed at San Francisco the following week.

Detroit desperately hopes history repeats itself. The Lions are seeking their first Super Bowl appearance and hoping to end an NFL championship drought that dates to 1957. They are a No. 1 seed for the first time in franchise history.

«It's not the cherry on top,» quarterback Jared Goff said. «Not yet.»

Game No. 272 of the regular season was expected to be a shootout with Pro Bowl quarterbacks leading high-scoring offenses, but Goff and Sam Darnold were not at their best.

Gibbs picked up the slack for his