The Vikings vs. Lions Rivalry Just Got Spicier
What would the NFL be without rivalries? Pretty boring, right? Nothing beats a primetime matchup between the Steelers and the Ravens, two franchises that absolutely despise each other. In the NFC North, it’s no longer just the Bears, the Packers, and the Vikings. Since Detroit’s rise to contendership a couple of years ago, they have been just as involved in the in-divison feuds as the others.
The Vikings vs. Lions Rivalry Just Got Spicier
The Michigan franchise has gotten the better of the Vikings in five straight matchups. Kevin O’Connell has only won once against Dan Campbell’s unit, and that was a nailbiter right before Detroit blossomed.
Last year, it turned into a real rivalry because the two franchises went toe-to-toe for the entire season, ending in an ultimate showdown in the season’s final NFL game for the division crown, the top seed in the NFC playoff picture, and the subsequent bye week and homefield advantage.
Well, the Vikings played the first of two poor games to end the season. The Lions had an underwhelming performance two weeks later. Both teams were bounced from the postseason immediately.
In the draft’s first round on Thursday, both organizations acquired players from Ohio State. Donovan Jackson has become the first guard drafted by the Vikings in round one since Randall McDaniel 37 years ago.
His new job is to block for ex-Michigan signal-caller J.J. McCarthy, but the rivalry isn’t a problem. ESPN’s Kevin Seifert reported, “Donovan Jackson, who played at Ohio State, said he spoke briefly with J.J. McCarthy, who played at Michigan, during his pre-draft visit to Minnesota. As for the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry, Jackson said: ‘We’re going to leave that in college.'”
He will leave the rivalry in college, but new Lions defender Tyleik Williams doesn’t have to. He fought some battles against Minnesota’s new QB1 in college, which never ended well for the Buckeyes.
An old video from 2021 has surfaced of Williams stomping on McCarthy’s jersey.
Michigan is 4-0 since this video was posted. Three of those games included McCarthy, and he started two of those. Williams is now playing in Wolverines country.
Including Williams and Jackson, four Ohio State Buckeyes were drafted in the first round. The others were new-Buccaneer Emeka Egbuka, a wideout who will benefit from the veteran presence of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin but might need a year or two to surpass them, as well as left tackle Josh Simmons. He will block for Patrick Mahomes.
Simmons got hurt last season, which is why Jackson moved from left guard to left tackle for about half the season, and he did a marvelous job there, too.
The Lions/Vikings rivalry keeps getting hotter and hotter. In the upcoming season, the two will meet (at least) two more times. O’Connell’s unit hopes to secure the first victory since 2022.
Williams and Jackson could face each other on the field, and the latter will make sure the former can’t get to McCarthy and recreate the stomping video in real life.
Editor’s Note: Information from Sports Reference CFB helped with this article.