The Minnesota Vikings' 2024 season seemed to end before it had even begun when quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who the Vikings drafted No. 10 overall, tore his meniscus during the preseason.

Fast forward to Week 18 and the Vikings are 14-2 and are one win away from clinching the No. 1 seed in the NFC. How did this happen? The resurgence of Sam Darnold.

Darnold, originally drafted No. 3 overall by the New York Jets in 2018, is third in the NFL in passing yards with 4,153. He has gone 343-of-504 on passing attempts this season for 35 touchdowns to just 12 interceptions.

NFL insider Adam Schefter explained why he does not believe the Vikings can let Darnold walk after this season in an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.

“How can you let somebody that your team feels that strongly about walk out the door? That video tells you that they are not gonna let him go. That's what that video tells you,” Schefter said. The video referenced by Schefter was the Vikings' locker room celebration following their Week 17 win over the Green Bay Packers.

The Vikings have an interesting decision to make this offseason about what their future looks like at the quarterback position. At the very least, the battle between Darnold and McCarty for the starting job will be one of the NFL's most interesting position battles heading into the 2025 season.

How the Vikings secure the NFC North/No. 1 Seed

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Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) celebrates his touchdown with quarterback Sam Darnold (14) against Green Bay Packers in the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium.
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At 14-2, the Vikings are currently in possession of the No. 1 seed in the NFC North.

If the Vikings want to hold onto the top spot in the conference and secure home-field advantage for the playoffs, they need to beat the Detroit Lions. The Lions are 13-2 and currently occupy the No. 5 seed in the NFC.

The Lions picked up a narrow 31-29 victory over the Vikings in the previous meeting of the two teams in Minneapolis in Week 7.

If Detroit is victorious against Minnesota again, it will secure the NFC North Championship and have a chance of ending up with the No. 1 seed in the NFC. A lot is riding on this regular-season finale as the division rivals both have a lot to play for. Kick off is set for 7:20 p.m. CT and NBC will carry the television broadcast.