Vikings can clinch NFC North with win or tie against Lions

By The Associated Press

The Minnesota Vikings can clinch the NFC North with a win or a tie at Detroit. That suddenly seems like a challenging task. The Lions have won four of five games to surge into the playoff picture as a wild-card contender. Minnesota beat the Lions 28-24 in September at home and coach Dan Campbell still laments a decision he made late in that game. Campbell made a cautious call to try a 54-yard field goal with 1:14 left and the Lions leading by three points and the Vikings out of timeouts. The kick was missed the game was later lost.