Detroit Lions Have Clear Path to NFC North Title After Kirk Cousins Injury

The Detroit Lions' path to winning the NFC North for the first time just got clearer.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, who ranks second in the NFL in passing yards and is tied for first in touchdown passes, suffered a season-ending Achilles injury on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, the team confirmed. The Vikings still won the game, 24-10, to improve to 4-4 despite Cousins leaving in the fourth quarter.

But now Detroit's biggest obstacle on its way to winning a division title for the first time in three decades will be without its Pro Bowl QB for the second half of the 2023 season.

"Me personally, our whole team, our whole organization, we're all hurting this morning for Kirk," Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said during his Monday press conference. "Just knowing how much he's invested into this team, and from a standpoint of his leadership and what he's meant to every single guy in that locker room and really what he's meant to me since my arrival here last year. We're going to miss him, there's no doubt about it that we're going to miss him."

The Lions (5-2) entered Week 8 leading the NFC North despite coming off of a 38-6 drubbing at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens a week ago. Dan Campbell's team will head into its bye week with a two-game lead in the loss column if it can bounce back against the Las Vegas Raiders during Week 8's Monday Night Football game.

And that would be unusual in Detroit.

The last time the Lions won their division, it had a different name. The franchise's last division title came in 1993 when it was called the NFC Central. For context, Barry Sanders was only halfway through his Hall of Fame career at the time. And current Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs, 21, hadn't even been born yet.

Detroit has made seven playoff appearances since its last division title, losing in the Wild Card round each time. But things could be different for the Lions this year—especially considering their competition for the division crown.

The Vikings have won three games in a row and are already 2-0 within the division, but losing Cousins is a blow that will be tough to absorb. So where will Minnesota turn at quarterback? Rookie Jaren Hall finished out the game after Cousins left. Backup Nick Mullens is on injured reserve and out until at least Week 10. Sean Mannion is on Minnesota's practice squad. Or, if the Vikings want to look elsewhere, they could sign a free agent or pursue a veteran ahead of Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET trade deadline.

Whatever Minnesota decides to do, whether that's selling at the trade deadline and committing to a rebuild, or trying to recover from losing Cousins, will loom large for the Lions the rest of the season.

The other two teams in the NFC North — the Packers (2-5) and Chicago Bears (2-6) — don't seem to present much of a threat to catching Detroit.

The Lions opened the 2023 season by upsetting the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs on the road. After a Week 2 overtime loss, Detroit rattled off four consecutive wins—including a divisional blowout of the Packers—before being humbled by the Ravens. Coming back from a bump in the schedule isn't new for Detroit. The Lions have faced adversity before.

Campbell's crew started last season 1-6 before finishing with nine wins. Leaving one bad loss behind is the franchise's newest challenge on its way to a potential playoff spot.

"It's a roller coaster outside of our building at times, for every team in the league," Lions quarterback Jared Goff said ahead of Monday's game. "It's no different for us, but [here], it's steady Eddie and ready to respond this week ... I think we know what we're made of. We've got to respond the right way and play good ball this week."

The Lions-Raiders prime-time matchup is scheduled to kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET Monday. The game will air on ESPN with Joe Buck (play-by-play) and Troy Aikman (analyst) on the call.

Detroit enters the game as a seven-point favorite, per Caesars Sportsbook.