DETROIT – The Detroit Lions are going to host their first playoff game at Ford Field this season, and it sure looks like Matthew Stafford could be on the other sideline.
On Sunday, the Lions defeated the Vikings and won the NFC North Division -- something they never did in the 12 seasons Stafford wore the Honolulu Blue.
Stafford was often a silver lining during otherwise hopeless seasons, but when he was traded from Detroit to Los Angeles three years ago, he left without bringing any hardware to Ford Field.
The Lions never won a division. They never hosted a playoff game. They never even won a playoff game.
Two of those things will change this season. As for the third, Stafford just might stand in the way.
Heading into Week 17, with just two games remaining, the Lions are locked into a top-three seed in the NFC. As long as San Francisco doesn’t stumble in the final two weeks, the Lions will either finish No. 2 or No. 3.
That means they will host one of the last two wildcard teams in the first round. Coincidentally, those are the only two spots available to Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams.
If the playoffs started today, the No. 3 Lions would host the No. 6 Rams in the first round. Anything can happen on the field, but this seems to be the most likely way the final two weeks will play out:
- Cowboys beat Lions.
- Rams beat Giants.
- Lions beat Vikings.
- 49ers beat Rams.
In this scenario, if the Eagles beat the Cardinals and Giants -- by far the most likely outcome -- the Lions would finish as the No. 3 seed. They would then host the No. 6 seed in the first round of the playoffs.
If the Rams are 9-8, they have a really strong shot to make the playoffs. The question is whether they would be No. 6 or No. 7.
The Seattle Seahawks are currently tied with the Rams but sit at No. 7 because they lost both head-to-head matchups. They host the 8-7 Steelers this weekend and then visit the 3-12 Cardinals to end the regular season. If they win both of those games, they could pass the Rams and earn a rematch with the Lions in Ford Field.
In Week 2, Seattle came to Detroit and beat the Lions for a third-straight season, courtesy of an overtime coin flip. There’s just something about the Seahawks that the Lions can never seem to overcome.
But there are many ways that Seahawks-Lions matchup could become a Rams-Lions matchup. The Seahawks could lose to the Steelers this weekend. Or the Rams could beat the 49ers and earn the No. 6 seed. Or the Lions could beat the Cowboys and earn the No. 2 seed.
Technically, there are still eight teams the Lions could play in the first round, but the Rams and Seahawks are by far the most likely opponents.
The team that’s been a thorn in Detroit’s side for years or the longtime face of the franchise returning as the enemy -- either way, Ford Field’s first playoff game is shaping up to be a good one.
