Why the Detroit Lions may have just won their biggest game of the entire season

MINNEAPOLIS – The Detroit Lions might have just picked up their biggest win of the regular season by going to Minnesota and defeating the first-place Vikings.

I know, I know. It's a long season and we're only in Week 7. But looking back at the beginning of January, there's no telling which game will end up being the most important.

Last year, Detroit's biggest win probably came in Week 4 at Green Bay. We didn't know it at the time, but that's the only result that would have jeopardized the division title.

For this reason, I think we could look back on the 2024 regular season and call Sunday's win over the Vikings the win that mattered most.

Think about if Jake Bates had missed his game-winning 44-yard field goal.

The Lions would still be in a pretty good position in terms of playoff positioning at 4-2. But they would be a full two games behind the Vikings in the NFC North race, and the Vikings would have an early lead in the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Remember: Winning the NFC North is the No. 1 priority during the regular season. No division title means (most likely) no home playoff games. And Ford Field is the biggest asset in the sport today.

Without the direct tiebreaker, not only would the Lions be two games back, but even if they won the return game in Week 18, the Vikings, with a perfect division and conference record, would be in a good position to win the next tiebreaker.

They also picked up wins against three key common opponents: the 49ers, Packers and Texans.

A loss on Sunday would have put the Lions in a very precarious position in the NFC North, especially since the Vikings would play the Rams, Colts, Jaguars and Titans next month – four of the easiest games on their schedule.

But instead, the Lions found a way to win and the entire feel of this division changed.

The Lions are now level with the Vikings at 5-1 and have won their first direct duel on the road, which gives them a big advantage.

Even if a rematch happens, the Lions would be in control of their own destiny and have a chance to beat the Vikings at home in front of a pseudo-playoff crowd at Ford Field.

The Lions also remained one step ahead of the Packers – who beat the Texans to improve to 5-2 – and the Bears – who are 4-2 on a bye.

In the race for the NFC's No. 1 seed, this victory gave the Lions a three-game lead over the 49ers in the loss list. That means even if the 49ers beat the Lions in Week 17, they still have two more games to make up ground before the end of the season – a tall order.

So instead of playing on the back foot for the next few months and trying to chase the Vikings, the Lions are suddenly back in the driver's seat. There aren't many regular season games that produce such a seismic shift.

Obviously, the way this division plays out will determine which games end up being the most important. If the Packers overtake the Vikings, these games against Green Bay will have more meaning, and the same goes for Chicago.

But the Vikings have already gone to Lambeau Field and beaten the Packers, and until about 20 hours ago, they were the last undefeated team in the NFC.

So I think there's a good chance the Vikings are Detroit's biggest rival. Ultimately, it wasn't a decisive win for the Lions – only two points and a total of eight yards separated the two teams. The game was a virtual back and forth.

Coming into Minnesota and immediately beating the Vikings gave the Lions a glimpse into the NFC North. That's why Sunday was so important and that's why I think this will end up being the biggest win of the season.