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How to Watch Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions on Peacock LIVE, Schedule, Kickoff Time
It’s the final week of the NFL regular season, and that means the final Sunday Night Football is bigger than ever. Cap off the season with a massive matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions.
Week 18 of the NFL season brings us the ultimate thriller on Sunday Night Football. End the regular season with Sunday's biggest game as we head to Detroit, MI where the Minnesota Vikings take on the hometown Lions.
Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions
The Vikings (14–2, 2nd in NFC North) had a better season than anyone would have predicted back in September. After drafting Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy at No. 10 overall, the team found themselves without their presumed starter when he suffered a knee injury during preseason. The Vikings turned to backup Sam Darnold, who’s since had the best season of his career. At the beginning of the season, Detroit was expected to easily win the NFC North. They still could win it, but the Vikings have put up one spectacular fight. Darnold has thrown for 4,153 yards and 35 touchdowns this season. He also has 12 interceptions this season, but only two of those have come in the latter half of the season. That’s a huge improvement week-over-week, and Detroit can’t count on a badly timed pick to bail them out on Sunday. Darnold has excelled under pressure this season, making big plays from seemingly nothing. That’s gonna be hard to stop.
On the other side of the ball, the Vikings bring a formidable defense to Detroit. We know how much the Lions love to pass, and Minnesota is very good at shutting that down. They may be the perfect foils for their divisional rival. They will bring unbelievable pressure on the Lions quarterback to force negative plays and even a few turnovers. The Vikings have been on fire in the latter half of the season, and if they can stay in that form, they could take the division on Sunday night.
The Lions (14–2, 1st in NFC North) were expected to do great things this season, and they have lived up to every one of those expectations. This team remains the most fun-to-watch unit in the NFL. A lot of that comes from their unpredictable play style. Head coach Dan Campbell is famous for experimenting with trick plays, not punting the ball away on fourth downs, and taking big risks for bigger payoffs. Quarterback Jared Goff followed up his best season in Detroit with one that could turn out even better. He’s thrown for 4,398 yards, 36 touchdowns, and only 10 interceptions. Just looking at the numbers, those risks the team is known for pay off far more often than they don’t. This team can put up points against even the stoutest defense. A ton of that yardage has come from wide receiver Justin Jefferson. With an average of 182.5 yards per game, Jefferson has been lighting up defenses all season long. That includes Minnesota’s, who couldn’t find a way to stop him even with the home crowd behind them.
The Lions will need all the offensive power they can get this Sunday as they’re missing a ton of defensive talent. 13 defensemen are on injured reserve, including defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. In the latter half of the season, Detroit has had trouble stopping teams from scoring. Last week, they allowed 34 points in a win over the 49ers. No team is better equipped to win scoring battles than the Lions, but when every game is a scoring battle, one is eventually going to go the other way. The Lions were able to beat the Vikings the first time they met this season, but that was a tense 31–29 squeaker. This one is likely to be just as high-scoring, but with a banged-up Lions defense, the challenge will be greater, even in front of the Detroit home crowd. Still, if the offense keeps up the pace they’ve held all season, they’ll have no trouble securing the No. 1 seed on Sunday.
What’s at stake for Vikings vs. Lions?
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a game like this on Sunday Night Football. Two teams with the same record battle it out with the highest stakes all season. The winner not only takes the division, they get the No. 1 NFC Seed and home field advantage though the entire playoffs. The loser still makes the playoffs but drops to the No. 5 seed and will go on the road. Both teams will be playing as hard as ever to avoid a road trip. For the final game of the regular season, this one already feels like a playoff.
When Does Vikings vs. Lions start?
Coverage starts Sunday Jan 5 at 7p ET with Football Night in America. You’ll get highlights of the day’s action, analysis, and predictions for the upcoming game. Kickoff for Vikings vs. Lions is at 8:20p ET.
Where Will Vikings vs. Lions be played?
The game will be played at Ford Field in Detroit, MI.
Where Can I Stream Vikings vs. Lions?
Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions will air on NBC and stream LIVE on Peacock. Just download the Peacock app, navigate to the Sports category, and start streaming the biggest game of the week.
Can I Watch in Spanish?
Every Sunday Night Football game is available to stream LIVE en Español on Peacock.
