Vikings-Lions boasts end zone fun in race for NFC's top spot - ESPN

The Minnesota Vikings and Lions will meet Sunday night in Detroit in a game that carries massive playoff implications for football fans. It will determine the NFC North title and the No. 1 seed in the conference playoffs, and it will also carry high anticipation for the secondary celebratory antics.

The two teams have planned, rehearsed and executed almost weekly celebrations that featured shoutouts to 1990s and early 2000s movies, social media dance trends, viral pop culture moments and more.

Their creativity has attracted an audience well beyond traditional die-hard football fans, with celebrities such as Usher and Lindsay Lohan weighing in on their tributes.

The NFL's embrace of pop culture found a new audience in 2024, a year after Swifties descended on the league to follow Taylor Swift's relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

«The fact that the non-football world is connecting with football now, just because of the fun things we're doing, that's just so cool,» Vikings safety and celebration czar Camryn Bynum told ESPN.

While the league has eagerly spotlighted the Vikings' celebratory antics on its social media, it has also enforced its rules against prohibited celebrations and taunting when necessary. Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson, for example, was penalized after his traditional post-touchdown Griddy against Seattle in Week 16 because he stared at Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon as he danced. The NFL also fined Jefferson $13,659 in 2023 when he made a gun-like signal during a touchdown celebration.

«We're out here to play this game to entertain people at the end of the day,» Bynum said. «So I'm like, why not bring a little more entertainment that rewards us? So at the end of the day,