The Lions beat the Vikings 30-20 on Sunday to earn their 12th win of the season, tying a franchise record.
That record was set back in 1991, the last time the Lions won a playoff game. Detroit will be looking to break that record and exorcize more than 30 years of playoff demons next week as the Lions host a Wild Card game.
But the morale heading into that game may not be as high as most were hoping for, as rookie tight end Sam LaPorta left Sunday’s game with a knee injury in the second quarter and did not return.
The severity of his injury was not immediately clear. Several other players also sustained what appeared to be minor injuries against Minnesota, including knocks to Amon-Ra St. Brown and Kalif Raymond.
The win — started off by a LaPorta touchdown, and capped off by a 70-yard St. Brown touchdown to start the fourth quarter — was only a small part of the equation for the Lions to clinch the NFC’s No. 2 seed.
Had Detroit come out of Dallas with a win after last Saturday’s controversy, Sunday’s win would have clinched the No. 2 seed. Instead, we head into the late window Sunday scoreboard watching for the second year in a row. Detroit needs losses by Philadelphia and Dallas, both playing weaker opponents, in order to gain the higher seed.
Depending on how things shake out late Sunday afternoon, the Lions will likely face former QB Matthew Stafford and the Rams, or NFC North rival Green Bay.
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