Lions secure NFC's No. 1 seed, Broncos and Buccaneers clinch the NFL's final two playoff spots

The road to the Super Bowl in the NFC will go through Motown.

The Detroit Lions secured a No. 1 seed with a 31-9 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night.

Jahmyr Gibbs scored four touchdowns to help the Lions (15-2) clinch the NFC North, earn a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

The Vikings (14-3) missed an opportunity to overtake Detroit for the top spot and ended up with the fifth seed. They'll play on the road against the No. 4 seed Los Angeles Rams (10-7) next Monday night.

The Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers captured the NFL's final two playoff spots earlier in the day in Week 18.

Rookie quarterback Bo Nix led the Broncos to a 38-0 victory over Kansas City's backups, sending Denver to the postseason for the first time since Peyton Manning helped the team win the Super Bowl following the 2015 season.

The Buccaneers clinched the NFC South with a 27-19 comeback victory over New Orleans and earned the No. 3 seed when the Los Angeles Rams lost to Seattle 30-25.

Tampa Bay (10-7) will host Washington (12-5) in the wild-card round next Sunday night.

The Broncos (10-7) got the seventh seed and will visit Buffalo (13-4) in the first game on Sunday.

Denver's victory eliminated Cincinnati and Miami, which lost to the Jets.

Green Bay, which lost 24-22 to Chicago, will be the seventh seed and visits No. 2 seed Philadelphia on Sunday in the middle game of a playoff tripleheader. The Eagles (14-3) beat the Packers (11-6) in the season opener, 34-29, in Brazil.

The Commanders beat Dallas 23-19 behind backup quarterback Marcus Mariota’s two touchdown passes. Washington opened the season with a loss in Tampa Bay, but rookie QB Jayden Daniels has come a long way since Week 1.

The AFC’s playoff picture became more clear on Saturday when the Baltimore Ravens beat Cleveland to clinch the North and the No. 3 seed. The Chiefs (15-2) already locked up a first-round bye, the Bills are the No. 2 seed and the Houston Texans are No. 4.

The Los Angeles Chargers beat Las Vegas to get the No. 5 seed. The Chargers (10-7) will play at Houston (10-7) in the first wild-card game on Saturday afternoon. The Ravens (12-5) host the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7), who lost the final four games of the regular season to drop to the No. 6 seed, on Saturday night. The division rivals split the season series.

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Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (26) celebrates his touchdown catch against the Minnesota Vikings during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Rey Del Rio)

Denver Broncos running back Audric Estime (23) scores past Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal (54) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) carries on a 27-yard run during the second half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans SaintsSunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) is brought down by New Orleans Saints safety Jordan Howden (31) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) throws during the second half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

The Athletics have agreed to a $60 million, five-year contract with slugger Brent Rooker, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Monday night.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced.

The deal includes a $22 million vesting option for the 2030 season and escalators that could increase the value to $92 million over six seasons. Rooker was set to swap proposed arbitration salaries with the A's on Thursday. He also would have been eligible for arbitration after the 2025 and 2026 seasons, and could have become a free agent following the 2027 World Series.

The new deal keeps Rooker signed through 2029, when the team is planning to be in Las Vegas. The A's left Oakland after last season and are set to play the next three seasons in a minor league park in West Sacramento, California. The club says its new stadium in Las Vegas is expected to be ready in 2028.

The 30-year-old Rooker has been one of the best players for the A's since joining the team in 2023. He batted .293 with 39 homers, 112 RBIs and a .927 OPS last season, winning a Silver Slugger award at designated hitter and finishing 10th in AL MVP voting. He hit 30 homers with an .817 OPS in his first season with the A's, making the AL All-Star squad.

The agreement with Rooker is the latest big move for the A's this offseason. The team previously signed pitcher Luis Severino to a $67 million, three-year contract — the largest deal in franchise history. The right-hander can opt out and become a free agent again after the 2026 season.

Severino’s arrival was followed by the acquisitions of third baseman Gio Urshela and left-hander Jeffrey Springs.

For the first time since the current collective bargaining agreement began in 2022, the A’s are to receive 100% of the amount due under the revenue sharing formula. If a team’s luxury tax payroll is not at least 150% of what it receives in revenue sharing, the burden of proof in a grievance alleging violation of revenue sharing rules would shift to the club from the players’ association.

The A's have one other player scheduled to swap proposed arbitration salaries with the team on Thursday in outfielder Miguel Andujar.

AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.

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FILE - Oakland Athletics designated hitter Brent Rooker rounds the bases after hitting a home run during a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Aug. 30, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)