There isn’t any drama about the Detroit Lions making the playoffs. The team took care of that by winning the NFC North championship back in Week 16. But there is some ambiguity about where the Lions wind up in the NFC standings and who will be their first postseason opponent as we enter Week 18.
The Lions will either be the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the NFC. There is only one path to the No. 2 seed:
Detroit beats Minnesota, with Dallas losing at Washington and also the Eagles losing at the Giants. Any other outcome than that exact combination, and the Lions will be the third seed. That would mean hosting the wild card round, and only hosting a game at Ford Field in the divisional round if the No. 2 seed gets upset in the wild card round.
Who will they host in the first playoff game in Ford Field history? That is still very much up in the air entering Week 18.
Right now, the Lions, as the No. 3 seed, would host the Los Angeles Rams, the current No. 6 seed. Los Angeles is the only 9-7 team in the NFC and will be the sixth seed if they beat the top-seeded 49ers in Week 18.
If the Rams lose to San Francisco and the Packers beat the Bears in Week 18, Green Bay would become the No. 6 seed and head to Ford Field.
Should the Lions get into the No. 2 seed, there are still quite a few possibilities about who would be their wild card foe.
The Vikings do still have a path to the postseason if they can beat the Lions in Detroit next Sunday. They will not know the outcome of the other games they need to have break their way before the kickoff.
