Jared Goff dominated every single minute of the Detroit Lions’ 31-9 demolition of the Minnesota Vikings. Goff solidified his MVP case with 231 yards coming off 27 of 33 passes while nailing a touchdown and two interceptions. It was a massive game for the Lions from start to finish, and they made sure that they would make the most of their chances to capture the NFC’s top spot.

Sam Darnold was locked down well by the Lions’ defense, which has managed to support its biggest strength for the whole game. Darnold only had 166 yards coming off 18-of-41 in his passes, which says a lot about how he needed to come up with extra effort if the Vikings are going to survive in the playoffs.

This massive showdown was expected to be a blockbuster game to watch for many fans, and yet it turned out to be a rout instead. The Vikings came up small despite the stakes at hand, and there were a lot of questionable plays from the team heading into playoff time – which will definitely be pivotal in their playoff chances as well.

A Needed Win for the Lions

The Lions were set to get some needed rest and will now skip the wild-card weekend off, and will not need to go on the road for the NFC Playoffs as well. Believe it or not, this will turn out to be a much-needed break for the team – buying some time for its injured stars such as cornerback Terrion Arnold, who got injured in the win.

This was a historic game, and the Lions now wrapped up the season with a 15-2 record and secured the top seed of the NFC. On the other hand, the Vikings’ chances aren’t that bad considering the fact that they just broke the record set by the 1999 Tennessee Titans’ record of 13 wins for a team that qualified for the wild-card – while falling to the fifth seed.

Goff has been spectacular all-season long, and he didn’t even need to play superhero to save the day for the Lions. This victory against the Vikings proves his point of being a sustainable team leader and more of commanding plays while not needing to do it all by himself.

If there was ever a need for the Lions to prove that they can battle in the playoffs, this was it.

Solidifying an MVP Case for Goff

To close out the season, the NFL MVP race has been centered on both Josh Allen (-300) and Lamar Jackson (+225). The two stars have done a great job to deliver winning performances in the final weeks of the season. The odds have been constantly in flux for most of the season, and there are multiple performers who have been in and out of the race, such as Joe Burrow, Saquon Barkley, and even Sam Darnold.

Goff’s odds, however, ended his season in a bang. He does have odds of +8000 as of the time of writing, but that’s just the odds, and the voters will have the final say at the end of the day. For the 2024 campaign, Goff tallied a total of 4,629 passing yards and a ratio of 37:12 in touchdowns to interceptions, which is a promising line among quarterbacks this season so far.

With the win, Goff will have a promising time to rest his legs and prepare his wits in the coming games, and he’ll have a good watch on his potential opponents in the next few weeks.