Gamble Online Michigan

NFL: Looking at the Lions potential first round opponents, including You Know Who

darren cooper
By:
Darren Cooper
26/12/2023/
NFL
Detroit Lions Sport News

Highlights

  • After beating the Vikings Sunday, the Detroit Lions have clinched the NFC North and a home game in the first round of the playoffs.
  • With two games left, Detroit still has the potential to be anywhere from the 1 seed to the 3 seed in the NFC.
  • Multiple teams remain in the hunt for the last two wild card spots in the NFC and a shot at the Lions in the first round.

Admit it Lions fans, when John Cominsky kicked that Vikings fumble away Sunday, you were scared. You were worried the Vikings were going to drive down the field and win 31-30.

Instead, Vikings back-up back-up QB Nick Mullens threw a wobbly duck over the middle a few plays later, Ifeatu Melifonwu intercepted and the Lions did the SKOL clap right back in the Vikings face. Detroit is NFC North champs for the first time. 

Michigan sportsbooks started the season with the Lions as the favorite to win the NFC North. Now, Lions fans can look at DraftKings, FanDuel and BetRivers and check out the Lions Super Bowl odds. (Hint: the Lions are middle of the pack).

But before anyone buys a ticket to see the Lions in Vegas in Super Bowl LVIII, let’s talk playoffs. Where do the Lions go and who will they see?

What’s the Lions Situation? 

Entering play Monday, the Lions were sitting as the No. 2 seed in the NFC, one game ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles. Everything is still in play for the Lions. They can still rise to the 1 seed if San Francisco happens to collapse (unlikely) or they could fall to the 3 seed depending on where the dust settles between the Cowboys and Eagles in the NFC East.

Whoever doesn’t win the NFC East is locked in as the 5 seed and will play the NFC South winner in the first round (probably the Bucs). The Lions don’t have to worry about them.

The Lions game Saturday night is huge for the Cowboys. Dallas will need a win to stay up with the Eagles. Dallas wants to win the NFC East, while the Lions still have a lot to play for too.

Who Could the Lions See in the first round? 

If you’re a Lions fan, then you already know who is looming. A team that has absolutely dominated the Lions for years, even spanking them earlier this year.

That’s right, the Seattle Seahawks.

I know, I know, the media is already talking about the potential for the Lions to play the Rams and former Lions star QB Matthew Stafford, but a real Lion fan would have to be scared about playing Seattle.

Some teams just don’t match up well for whatever reason. Seattle has won six in a row over the Lions, including 37-31 in OT this season. That’s still the second most points the Lions have allowed this season. Seattle still has some work to do to get in (they get the Steelers at home Sunday and then play the horrible Cardinals), but it could be a scary match-up for the Lions if they do.

What About Him? 

Him is Matthew Stafford, forever a Lions star quarterback who was traded away to the LA Rams for Jared Goff in 2021. Stafford then guided the Rams to a Super Bowl win, doing what he could never do in Detroit.

The idea of the Lions having to face Stafford in Detroit in the first round is delicious for the national media. Stafford could be the Lions Killer, ending their best season in 30 years in heartbreak, or the Lions could rise up and beat their former star QB.

The Rams are 8-7 and play at the Giants (should win easy) and travel to San Francisco in Week 18. The Niners may have a lot to play for, or they may have already clinched the top seed and could rest everyone by then, while LA may need to win to boost their seed. Minnesota is also sitting right there as the eighth seed, and Detroit may not want to see them either in the first round.

Detroit clinched its first division title since 1993. They haven’t won a playoff game since 1991, whoever they play in the first round will be a rival.

darren cooper

Born and raised in Louisiana, Darren Cooper has a fond appreciation for bayous, Mardi Gras beads and the sports betting industry. Darren has worked for multiple print and online publications since 1998, primarily as a sports columnist in the Northeast. He’s covered a Super Bowl (it was a blowout), the World Series (same) and the NBA Draft (man, those guys are tall). For the last few years he’s dug deep into the sports gambling industry as it exploded across America, learning how the legal sausage is made and how while all the sportsbooks look the same, they all have different identities and styles. He’s learned to always bet within his means -- and take the under. When not in front of his computer creating, Darren spends time with his three boys. He runs, reads and is always looking for the next big thing to write about.