DETROIT – The Detroit Lions will find out today which playoff seed they’ve earned and who they will play in the first round.
For your convenience we’ve put all the information you need in one place so you can follow along with Sunday’s action around the league.
UPDATE: Lions-Rams first round playoff matchup: Stafford makes first return to Detroit
Seeding scenarios
Before we get to the possible first-round opponents, let’s talk about where the Lions will land. It’s pretty simple, they’re probably going to be the No. 3 seed, but there’s still a chance they could be the No. 2 seed.
Since the Lions beat the Vikings, they will need the Commanders to beat the Cowboys, and the Giants to beat the Eagles, then the Lions will move up to the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
Otherwise, the Lions will be the No. 3 seed, no matter what else happens around the league.
For a much more in-depth explanation, click here.
Who will Lions play?
Here’s a ranking of Detroit’s possible opponents from most to least likely.
1. Los Angeles Rams
The most likely first-round opponent for the Lions is none other than Stafford’s Rams.
We’ve been talking for months about how this matchup could become a reality. Sure enough, if the playoffs started this weekend, it would feature a Rams-Lions clash in Detroit.
Even though the Rams are locked into a playoff spot, they haven’t yet clinched the No. 6 seed. This week, they could do so with an upset over the top-seeded 49ers.
That might not be quite as daunting as it sounds after the 49ers locked up a first-round bye. Quarterback Brock Purdy isn’t going to play, and who knows about San Francisco’s other top players, especially considering last season’s playoff run was derailed by injuries.
If the Rams win, they are the No. 6 seed. If they lose, they might be the No. 6 seed anyway.
The Rams own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Seahawks and Saints, who are both one game behind at 8-8. The only team that can catch the Rams and win a tiebreaker is Green Bay.
So this is what it would take for the No. 3 Lions to play the No. 6 Rams in the first round:
- Vikings win AND/OR Eagles win AND/OR Cowboys win.
- Rams win AND/OR Bears win.
That’s it. Seems pretty reasonable, right?
Technically, we have to include the other scenario, where the No. 2 Lions host the No. 7 Rams in the first round. Here’s what would have to happen:
- Lions beat Vikings.
- Commanders beat Cowboys.
- Giants beat Eagles.
- 49ers beat Rams.
- Packers beat Bears.
2. Green Bay Packers
Even if the Lions avoid Stafford, they’re probably going to end up facing another familiar opponent in the division-rival Packers.
The Packers own tiebreakers over the Seahawks (due to strength of victory) and Saints (due to conference record). If Green Bay beats the Bears on Sunday, the Seahawks and Saints will both be eliminated from wildcard contention.
As we’ve already discussed, the Packers’ path to the No. 6 seed is simple:
- Packers beat Bears.
- 49ers beat Rams.
Even if there was a multi-team tie between the Rams, Packers, Saints, and Seahawks, the Packers would come out on top. Seattle would be eliminated first of that group due to head-to-head losses to the Rams (the first step in the tiebreaking procedure is to eliminate all but one team from each division). Then the Packers would have a head-to-head sweep over the Saints and Rams.
The Packers could also earn the No. 7 seed if they beat the Bears and the Rams beat the 49ers.
If the Packers lose, they’re likely out of the playoffs. They would need the Falcons to beat the Saints, the Cardinals to beat the Seahawks, and the Lions to beat the Vikings. That would give the Packers the No. 7 seed.
