Last season’s Vikings–Lions showdown decided the NFC North. This year’s Christmas matchup highlights just how fast things can fall apart.
What a difference a year makes.
Just 354 days after they played for the NFC North crown and homefield advantage in the playoffs, the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions will be facing off on Christmas Day in a mostly meaningless game.
The Vikings were eliminated from postseason contention in Week 15, while the Lions have only a 7% chance of making the playoffs, per Next Gen Stats. Detroit will need to win its final two games and then hope that the Packers lose out to return to the postseason.
It's a far cry from last season's Week 18 matchup, where the loser not only missed out on the division crown, but fell to the No. 5 seed and a road playoff game. The Vikings lost to the Lions, then to the Rams in the wild-card round, a game played in Arizona due to wildfires in Los Angeles.
However, the 2025 season has been difficult for both Minnesota and Detroit. The Vikings lost J.J. McCarthy after a 22-6 loss in Week 2 to the Falcons, limping to a 3-4 start.
Meanwhile, the Lions lost their season-opener to the Packers, getting routed 27-13 at Lambeau Field. They seemed to be back on track after winning five of their next six games, sitting at 5-2 going into their bye week with the struggling Vikings coming to Ford Field in Week 9.
In McCarthy's return, Minnesota appeared to get its 2024 swagger back, upsetting Detroit 27-24. But the feeling was short-lived, as the Vikings lost their next four games. The loss threw the Lions off as well, as they have dropped four of their past seven games.
Detroit was then dealt a devastating loss last Sunday to the Steelers, getting two touchdowns nullified by penalty in the final 25 seconds of the games. Mathematically, the Lions are still alive this year. Realistically, they were eliminated that day.
Now, Minnesota (7-8) and Detroit (8-7) are in an uneventful battle for third-place in the division. A win by the Vikings would have them leapfrog the Lions in the standings heading into Week 18. If Detroit wins, then Minnesota will secure the fourth-place finish.
The NFL schedule makers probably weren't expecting the stakes to be this low before the season, either. Netflix is carrying the game at 3:30 CST on Christmas, on display for the whole country to see.
It may not be the kind of draw to take the attention away from the holidays for the casual fan. In fact, it may be difficult for fans of either the Vikings or Lions to break away from family functions to watch the game.
Seemingly nothing has gone right for either team this year. Injuries and unforced errors have plagued each team, while the Bears are running away with the division after numerous miracle comebacks, the latest coming Saturday night against the Packers.
Thursday's matchup between the Vikings and Lions shows just how short windows are open in the NFL. It's difficult to win in the league, and it's even harder to repeat one season's success the following year.
And even last year's matchup ultimately didn't matter in the postseason. The Lions lost to the Commanders in the divisional round, and Washington was then decimated by the Eagles one week later. Philadelphia would then destroy the Chiefs in the playoffs.
Last year, there was hope. This year, there is little optimism in the short-term, and many questions surrounding the future of the Vikings. Unfortunately, they can't even see what they have in McCarthy, who will miss the game with a hairline fracture in his hand.
So now, we have a collision between two division foes that has all the suspense of a cheap action movie on late-night television. Oddly, this low-stakes affair will be front and center for all to see on Christmas Day. And maybe that's what both of these teams deserve.