MINNEAPOLIS — The NFC North Champion won't be definitively crowned until Week 18 and the final game of the NFL's 2024 regular season.
Minnesota's 27-25 defeat of Green Bay on Sunday set the stage for a winner-takes-the-division game at the Detroit Lions in Week 18.
The NFL on Sunday announced that showdown will be at 7:20 p.m. (CT) and air on Sunday Night Football, the league's 272nd game of the season.
The Lions (13-2) can match Minnesota's 14-2 record on the season during Week 17's Monday Night Football game at the San Francisco 49ers (6-9), but even if Detroit loses, the Lions can still take the division with a win next week in the Motor City.
Should the 49ers upset the Lions, Minnesota could win the division next week with a tie, which also would secure the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC Playoffs.
If the Lions win against the 49ers, Minnesota can claim the crown and the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC North with a victory next week.
This will be the first Vikings appearance in the final game of a regular season since the 2015 finale back when it was a 16-game schedule. Minnesota claimed the NFC North with a 20-13 win at Lambeau Field.
