On Sunday, the NFC half of the playoff bracket will finally get underway with two of the three Wild Card matchups. The Detroit Lions, who earned a first-round bye after their win over the Minnesota Vikings, get to watch the action from home. What happens on Sunday could decide who the Lions will play next week in the Divisional Round. As a reminder, here are the possible scenarios:
If Packers beat Eagles:
- Lions will face the Packers
If Packers lose to Eagles and Commanders beat the Buccaneers:
- Lions will face the Commanders
If the Packers and Commanders both lose:
- Lions will face the winner of Vikings vs. Rams
So today’s Question of the Day is:
Who will the Lions face in the second round of the playoffs?
My answer: I’m going the boring route and taking all of the favorites in the three NFC games: the Eagles (-4.5 per FanDuel), Buccaneers (-3), and Vikings (-2.5). If that’s ends up happening, Minnesota will come right back to Ford Field for a rematch of last week’s epic Sunday night game that decided the NFC North winner.
If I were to guess a second possible opponent, I think the Commanders could very realistically beat the Buccaneers in Tampa. The Bucs have had a very up and down season, nearly losing their spot atop a terrible NFC South. Interestingly, both teams finished on a nice hot streak. The Buccaneers won six of their final seven games, while the Commanders finished the regular season with five straight wins—including a big win over the Eagles.
Who do you think the Lions’ second-round opponent will be? Vote in the poll below and then share why you picked them in the comment section at the bottom of the page.