Detroit Lions' NFC North-clinching victory was multiple games in the making in Minneapolis

U.S. Bank Stadium had been a house of horrors for the Detroit Lions the past two seasons — the site of some of their most horrific losses and important lessons learned.

That changed Sunday, when the Lions beat the Minnesota Vikings, 30-24, to clinch their first division title in 30 years. Jahmyr Gibbs ran for two touchdowns, the defense intercepted four Nick Mullens passes and Dan Campbell showed his evolution as a coach.

Here, in three parts, is the making of a division championship, Minnesota-style.

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Oct. 10, 2021: The heartbreak

The Lions were four games into an 0-10-1 start when Campbell made his first trip to Minneapolis as Lions coach.

Two weeks removed from a gut-wrenching 19-17 defeat to the Baltimore Ravens, when Justin Tucker made an NFL-record 66-yard field goal as time expired for the win, the Lions were in position to pull off an improbable first victory late at U.S. Bank, only to have history repeat itself.

Trailing by 10 points late in the fourth quarter, the Lions rallied to take a one-point lead with 37 seconds to play. Jared Goff led a field goal drive. Jalen Reeves-Maybin ripped away a Dalvin Cook fumble on the ensuing possession. D’Andre Swift scored three plays later. And after Campbell went for two, the Lions seemed to be on their way to their own comeback win.

The Vikings started their final possession backed up at their own 18-yard line with 30 seconds on the clock and two timeouts. Kirk Cousins threw deep for 21 yards over the middle on the first play, then picked up a short gain with a quick out. On the third play of the drive, Cousins fired another deep pass down the seam as the Lions passively rushed three linemen, much as they had on a crucial down against Baltimore two weeks before. Adam Thielen caught a pass at the Lions’ 36-yard line, and after a spike to kill the clock, Vikings kicker Greg Joseph trotted on the field for a career-long 54-yard field goal attempt.

Joseph’s kick split the uprights, and Campbell was choked up with emotion talking to reporters after the game.

“When you see your players give all that they have and you lose that way, it’s tough,” Campbell said after the game. “You don’t want that for them, but we’ll be better for it. And there again, credit Minnesota, but we made the one mistake that cost us. And so ultimately, we didn’t do enough to win. But I was proud of them, and I love the fight that they have in them. And I love the grit.”

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Sept. 25, 2022: Lessons learned

The Lions have never lacked fight or grit under Campbell. They won three of their final six games to finish that first season on a positive note; last year, they won eight of their final 10, after a 1-6 start, to narrowly miss the playoffs.

The Vikings won the NFC North with a 13-4 record, but the Lions had their number all year. In two games against Minnesota last season, the Lions trailed for a total of 45 seconds — all of them coming at the end of a Week 3 loss that still eats at Campbell’s insides.

One of the most aggressive coaches in the NFL, Campbell cowered with the game on the line.

He sent Austin Seibert out for a 54-yard field goal attempt on fourth-and-4 from the 36-yard line, with a 24-21 lead, rather than bury the Vikings with a punt or trying to convert on fourth down.

Seibert missed wide right — his second miss of the game — and Cousins marched the Vikings 56 yards in three plays for the winning touchdown.

“Look, we've learned hard lessons through a period of time here,” Campbell said Sunday. “We learned a hard one here. First year we did. We basically found a way to — we fought back in it, went for two to win the game, and then we gave up a big shot right before the end of the game for them to kick it for the win. And then last year we had it. We're up and just got to close it out and we didn't handle the four-minute well, offensively. We could have closed that game out and I made an awful decision. You learn from those, man, and it makes you better. And you hate that it happens to you, but it does make you better.”

Christmas Eve: The payoff

The Lions didn’t play perfect Sunday, and there are some late-game decisions Campbell will want to reassess.

Gibbs looked unstoppable on the Lions’ first two drives of the second half, then spent most of the fourth quarter on the bench. The Lions went three-and-out on the drive after taking a 30-21 lead, when Gibbs didn’t see the field, and their four-minute offense was a penalty-ridden mess.

The Vikings started their final possession at their own 12-yard line with 2:23 to play. Justin Jefferson made a spectacular catch to keep the drive alive, but it was the Lions who, for the first time in three trips to Minnesota under Campbell, made plays down the stretch.

Romeo Okwara sacked Mullens and knocked loose a fumble the Vikings recovered, albeit for a big loss. Aidan Hutchinson batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage. Aaron Glenn stayed aggressive on defense, blitzing extra defenders from all over the field. And on first-and-10 from the Lions’ 30-yard line with 58 seconds to play, Ifeatu Melifonwu intercepted a wobbly Mullens pass thrown behind Jefferson to end the Vikings’ threat.

Lady Luck might have been smiling some on the Lions on that play. Mullens threw a terrible pass; Jefferson was open for a touchdown.

But that’s life in the NFL, and after two years of hard living the Lions helped create their own breaks.

“You learn from it,” Campbell said. “Because most of that team, most of that core is still here from last year. That is our core. So anyway, look, I'm proud of everybody. This has been a long time coming. And look, I'm proud of all the Lions fans out there that have been dying for this for years, man. That was for you, too. I know it’s been a long time. You deserve that. And it's not over. That's just one.”

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him @davebirkett.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions' NFC North-clinching victory 3 years in the making