The Minnesota Vikings’ playoff hopes are hanging in limbo entering Sunday’s game with the Detroit Lions. Down their starting quarterback and several key players, the Vikings have rebounded from a 1-4 start to find themselves in the middle of the NFC’s playoff race.
Looking at their resumé alone, anyone would have difficulty understanding how this team is still alive. But it’s a little like the Metallica song “One,” which is fitting considering that Dan Campbell has become Minnesota’s final boss. Inspired by Dalton Trumbo’s novel Johnny Got His Gun, Metallica’s 1988 single depicts the story of a severely injured soldier during World War I who somehow is still alive, trapped in a prison where he can no longer live or die.
On the surface, Vikings fans may not believe there is much to fear with Campbell’s Lions. A man known as “Dantallica” due to his love for the metal band, Campbell threatened to eat the kneecaps of any team that crossed Detroit’s path in his introductory press conference.
Football fans continued to laugh as the Lions bumbled their way to a 1-6 start in 2022. But just as the Hard Knocks star appeared to be on the hot seat, things turned around.
The Lions have an 18-6 record since then and are on the verge of their first division title since 1993. From afar, it’s easy for Vikings fans to say “same old Lions” and expect a collapse. Still, it’s hard to imagine, considering Campbell’s success in his four previous meetings with Minnesota.
In his first game against the Vikings in 2021, Campbell’s Lions nearly pulled off an upset that could have ended the Mike Zimmer era. With Minnesota ahead 16-9 in the fourth quarter, Alexander Mattison fumbled to give the 0-4 Lions life. Detroit cashed in with a seven-yard touchdown run by D’Andre Swift. But Kirk Cousins led the Vikings 46 yards in 37 seconds to set up a 54-yard field goal by Greg Joseph that left Campbell in tears.
“When you see your players give all that they have, and you lose that way, it’s tough,” Campbell said after the game. “You know? You don’t want that for them. But we’ll be better for it.”
The Lions didn’t have immediate progress. They brought a 0-10-1 record into their second game against Minnesota on Dec. 5. With the Vikings holding onto their playoff hopes, the Lions brought it to Minnesota and jumped out to a 20-6 lead at halftime.
The Vikings worked their way back to take a 27-23 lead on Cousins’ touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson with 1:50 to play. But Jared Goff hit Amon-Ra St. Brown for an 11-yard touchdown pass as time expired to give Campbell his first career win.
St. Brown used the win as a springboard to stardom, catching 41 passes for 474 yards and four touchdowns over the final five games of the 2021 season. He has caught 200 passes for 2,336 yards and 13 touchdowns over the past two seasons.
Goff also used the game as a turning point, becoming Detroit’s long-term answer at quarterback.
The Lions entered their next meeting with the Vikings with a 1-1 record, trying to prove they were a threat in the NFC North. Playing at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Lions jumped ahead to a pair of 14-point leads before Mattison’s touchdown with 7:50 to go, making it a 24-21 game.
Detroit moved the ball with ease against Ed Donatell’s defense and were 4 of 6 on fourth-down conversions before the Lions faced a fourth-and-four with 1:14 to play. With a chance to win the game by getting a first down, Campbell opted for a field goal, which Austin Seibert missed. Cousins connected with K.J. Osborn for the game-winning touchdown with 45 seconds remaining.
The decision not to go for the win ate at Campbell a few months later. “Look, it burns me,” Campbell told reporters ahead of their December meeting at Ford Field. “Of course, it burns me. That’ll be there until the day I die. That’s not going to go away.”
Perhaps leaving that win on the field lit a fire under Campbell’s Lions, who took it to the Vikings in their last meeting.
The Vikings passed on Jameson Williams in the previous draft, and he hauled in a 41-yard touchdown that would be the only reception of his rookie season. The Lions jumped ahead 21-7 on Goff’s touchdown pass to Josh Reynolds with 5:44 in the third quarter.
Detroit did not need a comeback. Their 34-28 victory is a more accurate depiction of what the Lions have become under Campbell.
The public perception of Campbell is that he’s a guy with a Starbucks venti in one hand and a Panera supercharged lemonade in the other who listens to …And Justice For All at maximum volume. But he’s turned out to be a damn good coach.
That shouldn’t be surprising, considering that Campbell came from the same Bill Parcells coaching tree as Zimmer. He spent time under Sean Payton in New Orleans before becoming the interim coach with the Miami Dolphins. His players are willing to run through walls for him. Like Kevin O’Connell, he keeps his players’ attention even when times are tough.
He’s a fitting final boss for the Vikings, who seem trapped in the football version of the soldier depicted in a song that Campbell has listened to many times.
The Vikings have been a middling team for years, happy to be “super competitive” and in the hunt for a playoff spot. But it’s not just making the playoffs that is the issue; it’s making noise once they get there.
Minnesota hasn’t won multiple playoff games in one season since 1987. Their last trip to the NFC Championship game was six years ago. Even if the Vikings sneak into the playoffs this year, it’s hard to imagine them making a run with so many of their critical parts missing.
They’ve created a prison where they’re good enough to compete but not good enough to become a legitimate contender. The Vikings are always good enough to win a few games but not bad enough to get the long-term stability they need – especially at quarterback.
Perhaps defeating Campbell’s Lions, a team they’ll see twice in the final three weeks and potentially a third time in the Wild Card round, would be enough to get them out of this predicament. But failing to do so would leave the Vikings in their helpless state, stuck in the prison they created.
