Even if the Bills fall short of next month’s Super Bowl, they remain positioned for prolonged greatness. If that’s not enough for perennial contention, then the rest of the AFC East’s decrepitude will keep that window wide open.

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (26) celebrates with wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown (14), Tim Patrick (17) and Jameson Williams (9) and tight end Sam LaPorta (87) in the end zone after running for a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings in the first quarter at Ford Field. / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

The Lions certainly looked like a true Super Bowl contender as they crushed the Vikings en route to another NFC North crown.

The NFL playoffs are set after the regular season ended in Week 18. With that in mind, here are 10 takeaways heading into Super Wild Card Weekend.

The Detroit Lions wrapped up the NFC North in the final game of the 2024 season, and in doing so earned a week off and a piece of team history.The Lions hosted the Minnesota Vikings in a winner-take-all game on Sunday night,

The Denver Broncos, who earned the right to face the Bills in next week’s Wild Card playoff round, faced a Kansas City Chiefs team in the same position as Buffalo. They clinched the No. 1 seed and barely showed up for a road beatdown. The Broncos cruised to a 38-0 win.

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell told Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell that the teams will meet again in the NFL playoffs.

That 2023 Broncos team had gotten off to a 1-5 start in Payton’s debut season, but it won seven of its final 11 games and while the 8-9 record left Denver on the outside of the playoff bubble, it was a solid building block for 2024 and the Broncos went 10-7 this season.

ESPN released its final Power Rankings of the 2024 season, and the Minnesota Vikings are ranked among the league’s best.

Ben Roethlisberger picks the Ravens to beat the Steelers. Prognosticators see the Ravens defeating the Lions in the Super Bowl. Pro Football Focus names Jackson Offensive Player of the Year.