Campbell: Vikings-Lions for No. 1 Seed in NFL Playoff Bracket Is 'Fairytale Stuff'

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell is embracing the challenge of playing a Week 18 game against the Minnesota Vikings that will determine the NFC North champion and home-field advantage in the playoffs.

Speaking to reporters after the Lions' 40-34 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Monday, Campbell called the upcoming game against the Vikings "fairytale stuff" with all that's at stake for both teams.

"This is what you're in it for, man," Campbell said. "You couldn't write a better scenario. You couldn't come up with this. The fact that both teams are sitting at 14-2 and it's for the division and the No. 1 seed. It just doesn't get any better than this. This is fairytale stuff."

Despite all of their recent injury woes, particularly on defense, the Lions continue to operate like a machine. They have scored at least 34 points in four consecutive games, going 3-1 during this stretch.

Campbell has done a great job of continuing to pump up his team by acknowledging no one is going to feel sympathy for them because of the players they have lost to injuries. The combination of their still-healthy talent and coaching has allowed them to keep playing at a high level.

Even though there was nothing at stake against the 49ers, the Lions played their starters for the entire game. They racked up 439 yards on offense and picked off Brock Purdy twice in the second half to eventually seal the win.

Despite having been atop the NFC standings for virtually the entire season, the Lions have had no margin for error because Minnesota has also been playing as well as any team in the NFL.

The Vikings enter Week 18 riding a nine-game winning streak that began after losing back-to-back games. Their first loss of the season was a 31-29 defeat to the Lions in Week 7 when Jake Bates made a go-ahead 44-yard field goal with 15 seconds remaining.

It will be interesting to see how deep into the bag of tricks both coaching staffs go to win because of what securing the No. 1 seed in the playoffs has historically meant for going to the Super Bowl.

Since the NFL expanded to the 14-team playoff format four years ago, the only non-division winner to reach the Super Bowl was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. The No. 1 seed in the NFC has advanced to the Super Bowl in each of the past two years.

The Vikings and Lions will play the final game of the 2024 regular season at Ford Field on Sunday at 8:20 p.m. ET.