Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions

The Minnesota Vikings became a team nearly 30 years after the Detroit Lions made their entrance into the league. These two teams, as part of the NFC North get to meet up twice a season with cold temperatures playing a key role. These two teams are both members of the NFC North.

History of Vikings vs. Lions Rivalry

These two first met in 1961, and they have been a part of the same conference and division since the Vikes arrived. This rivalry has been lopsided in favor of the Minnesota Vikings, especially since 1967 when Bud Grant become the head coach of the Vikings after a dismal 3-8-1 start against Detroit.

Head to Head Analysis of Vikings vs. Lions

Minnesota and Detroit have played 115 total times, and the Vikings have a big lead with a 74-39-2 record. However, the Lions did start out well in this series by winning the first 5 matchups and ultimately winning the 1960s decade.

The Vikings have since dominated the rivalry, and they only lost 3 games in the 70s and 2 games in the 2000s. The largest victory of the rivalry came in 1981 when the Lions beat the Vikings with a score of 45-7. The closest game of this rivalry was 7 years earlier when the Vikings edged the Lions by a score of 7-6. Minnesota owns a current win streak of 3 games, and they have the longest of the rivalry from when they won 13 straight from 1968 to 1974.

A Glance at Postseason Success in Vikings vs. Lions

As you can gather from the head to head analysis of this rivalry, the Vikings have been a much more successful franchise, especially given the fact that they are younger by 30 years.

Neither of these teams have won a Super Bowl, but the Lions do lead with 4 NFL Championships (pre-1970 AFL-NFL merger) over the one that the Vikings have. Minnesota has 29 total playoff appearances versus only 17 for Detroit. They each have 4 Conference championships, but the Vikings have won their division 20 times as opposed to only 8 for the Lions.

Neither of these teams have the youngest quarterbacks, but they each have a nice running back and wide receiver. For the Vikings, RB Dalvin Cook and WR Stefon Diggs will provide plenty of firepower just between the two of them. On the Lions’ offense, RB Kerryon Johnson and WR Kenny Golladay are coming into their own as young playmakers. The two youngsters on the defensive end that are worth a watch would be MLB Jarrad Davis for Detroit and DE Danielle Hunter for Minnesota. I would anticipate the NFC North being a tough division in the years to come, so it will be very intriguing to watch these two teams try to progress against each other and their entire division.