Lions HC Dan Campbell just put the whammy on the Vikings after season finale

As soon as the LA Rams' final score of their Week 18 season finale against the Settle Seahawks was inked into the record books, the 2025 NFL Playoffs seeding was known. The Rams' loss coupled with a Tampa Bay Buccaneers win dropped the team to the fourth-seeded team in the NFC. That did not change the fact that the team still hosts the Wild Card Round of the 2025 NFL Playoffs. It simply changed the opponent.

As the fourth-seed, the Rams instantly understood that they would face the loser of the Minnesota Vikings (14-2) versus the Detroit Lions (14-2). Because that game was a head to head competition that held the NFC North Division title in the balance, the game was flexed to Sunday Night Football. It became the last regular season game of the 2024 NFL season

The winner would earn a Wild Card Round BYE, while the loser would have to travel to Los Angeles, California to face the LA Rams in the Wild Card Round of the 2025 NFL Playoffs. The Detroit Lions won the game by a commanding score of 31-9. The Lions get a week to rest. The Vikings must now regroup and face the only other team to defeat them in the regular season. That's right, the only two teams to defeat the Minnesota Vikings in 2024 were the Detroit Lions (2X) and the Los Angeles Rams.

Campbell's comments bestowed the kiss of death upon Vikings

It is always customary at the end of a football game for the two opposing NFL head coaches to meet on the playing field and exchange pleasantries. After all, coaching in the NFL is a small group of individuals who may coach against one another in one season, yet coach on the same team the following season.

So when Detroit Lions HC Dan Campbell met Minnesota Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell in the aftermath of their Week 18 game, cameras and microphones surrounded the pair as they exchanged words. But this was not a simple 'good game,' statement from Coach Campbell. Whether by accident or purposefully, Campbell gave the Rams bulleting board plenty of motivation for the Wild Card Round as they prepare to face the Vikings:

So what did Coach Campbell say to Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell?

"Good job. Great season. I will see you in two weeks"

Lions HC Dan Campbell

Let's be clear. Detroit Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell likely did not intend to troll the LA Rams with his comment. He was likely pointing out to Coach O'Connell that he had a week to rest before he had to regroup and prepare for the Divisional Round of the 2025 NFL Playoffs. The Detroit Lions had won the division and had earned a BYE week before the playoffs.

To the victors go the spoils.

But Coach Campbell trolled the Rams with his parting words too. He didn't say 'Good luck facing the Rams.' Nor did he say 'Good luck in the Wild Card round.' He simply stated 'See you in two weeks,' which was a swipe at the Rams, as though they will offer little if any resistance against the Vikings.

And that is simply not the case.

There are plenty of sayings to counter Campbell's perspective. Never count your chickens before they're hatched comes to mind. In the NFL, there is an unspoken rule that if you cite an expectation as fact, you jinx that expectation. And Coach Campbell wasted no time putting the whammy hex on the Vikings.

The LA Rams junior varsity squad pushed the Seattle Seahawks varsity team to the brink before losing in the final minutes. After the smoke cleared, the Rams proved to have ample depth, redirected vital experience to young players, and manufactured a BYE week for aching starting veterans and rookies before competing in the postseason.

No, Kevin O'Connell did not make that foolish statement. But the effect of scoffing at the LA Rams on national television has the same effect, regardless of who made the claim. The Rams have plenty of reasons to be motivated when hosting the Minnesota Vikings in the postseason.

Lions HC Dan Campbell merely added one more.

As always, thanks for reading.

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