The Giants may have cost themselves the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft with an upset victory over the Colts last week, but these underdogs won’t worry about such things in Week 18. (odds via ESPN)
Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions (-2.5)
In a week full of meaningless games featuring second- and third-string players, Sunday night’s game between the Lions and Vikings couldn’t mean more as both teams fight to win the NFC North and a No. 1 seed for the playoffs.
With identical 14-2 records, a win would earn either a first-round bye, something Detroit could certainly use as their regular season bye came back in Week 5. More importantly, running back David Montgomery could be available for the divisional round after choosing rehab over MCL surgery that would have ended his season.
Injuries aside, watching the NFL’s top-scoring offense battle a Vikings defense that’s allowed the fourth-fewest points per game (18.8) should be fun, with Lions head coach Dan Campbell calling the team’s regular-season finale “fairy-tale stuff.”
Actually, if anyone is living a dream this season, it’s Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold. As the league’s fourth-leading passer, Darnold has resurrected his career in Minnesota, earning the respect of the entire locker room.
