By LARRY LAGE
DETROIT (AP) — Jahmyr Gibbs scored three of his franchise-record tying four touchdowns in the second half, and the Detroit Lions beat the Minnesota Vikings 31-9 on Sunday night to win their second straight NFC North title and earn home-field advantage until the Super Bowl.
“Everybody’s got to come through here, baby!” Detroit defensive end Za’Darius Smith said to the roaring crowd after the game.
The Lions (15-2) and Vikings (14-3) could meet again in two weeks.
Detroit will have a much-needed bye for its banged-up team during the first week of the playoffs while Minnesota plays at the NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams next Monday night.
In the NFL’s final game before the playoffs, two teams played in the regular season with a combined 28 victories for the first time. A No. 1 seed was determined in a regular-season finale for the third time in three-plus decades.
Dallas wrapped up the 1993 regular season against the New York Giants with a 16-13 overtime win to give the Cowboys top seeding they used to their advantage as they advanced to and won the Super Bowl. The Giants, meanwhile, beat Minnesota in the wild-card round and were routed at San Francisco the following week.
Detroit desperately hopes history repeats itself. The Lions are seeking their first Super Bowl appearance and hoping to end an NFL championship drought that dates to 1957.
Game No. 272 of the regular season was expected to be a shootout with Pro Bowl quarterbacks leading high-scoring offenses, but Jared Goff and Sam Darnold were not at their best.
Gibbs picked up the slack for his team.
He had 23 carries for 139 yards with a career-high three rushing touchdowns and caught five passes for 31 yards and another score.
Goff threw two interceptions after getting picked off only once in the previous seven games and Minnesota made field goals after the turnovers in the second and third quarters.
After Vikings rookie Will Reichard connected on his third kick to cut the deficit to 10-9 early in the third, Goff directed a 13-play, 70-yard drive that took 7:25 and was capped by a slick pass to Gibbs for a 10-yard touchdown on fourth-and-2.
Goff was 8 of 8 on that possession and finished 27 of 33 for 231 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
Darnold completed fewer than half his passes in the first half, missing opportunities to pick up first downs and score touchdowns. The Vikings were 0 of 3 in the red zone through two quarters to let the Lions lead 10-6 at halftime.
The Vikings went for it on fourth down from the Lions 3 in the second quarter and Darnold, under pressure, overthrew an open Justin Jefferson in the end zone.
Darnold threw another incomplete pass on fourth down from the Detroit 2 early in the third.
Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell opted to attempt a 51-yard field goal late in the third, trailing by eight, and Reichard missed wide right.
Darnold was 18 of 41, a season-low 44% completion rate, and connected with Jefferson just three times on nine targets for 54 yards.
Vikings: OLB Patrick Jones (knee) was inactive.
Lions: LB Alex Anzalone (broken forearm) and punt returner/receiver Kalif Raymond (foot) returned from injuries to play for the first time since November. … CB Terrion Arnold (foot) and DL Pat O’Connor (Calf) were injured during the game and OG Kevin Zeitler came off the field, holding the back of his right leg late in the game.
Vikings: Visit the Rams as the NFL’s first 14-win wild card.
Lions: Host a divisional-round game after their first bye since Week 5.
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Follow Larry Lage at https://apnews.com/author/larry-lage
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