A look at potential Detroit Lions first-round matchups, and which teams you should root for in Week 18.
The Detroit Lions control their own destiny for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. All they need to do is beat the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night, and they’ll earn the NFC’s top seed, a first round bye, and their second consecutive NFC North title. If the Lions lose, they’ll take the No. 5 seed in the conference and face off against the NFC four seed in a road Wild Card game.
For many of you, I’m sure you’re not really focused on anything else. If the Lions take care of business, no other Week 18 results really matter. They’ll have a first-round bye and could face literally any of the NFC playoff teams in the second round outside of the Eagles, who are locked into the No. 2 seed.
But, unfortunately, we won’t know if the Lions have the one or five seed until the end of the night. Meanwhile, several NFC teams are in action hours earlier in the day to determine the final seeding in the conference. So, for worst-case scenario purposes, let’s examine these games and how they could impact the Lions’ first-round matchup should Detroit assume the NFC’s fifth seed.
Welcome to our Week 18 Detroit Lions rooting guide, where you choose your own adventure.
If you prefer a potential Lions vs. Falcons first-round matchup…
Root for:
- Falcons over Panthers
- Saints over Buccaneers
In this scenario, the Falcons win the NFC South because they have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Buccaneers. The Rams would clinch the No. 3 seed in the conference before they even kick off because the Falcons would be 9-8 while the Rams are already 10-6.
In my opinion, this is the ideal scenario because the Falcons are starting a rookie quarterback with just a few games of experience. They look like the worst team still in the playoff race. However, this also feels highly unlikely, as the Buccaneers—who are in a “win and in” scenario—are 14.5-point favorites over the Saints.
If you prefer a potential Lions vs. Buccaneers first round matchup…
Root for:
- Buccaneers win/tie vs. Saints
- Rams win/tie vs. Seahawks
The Bucs win the NFC South with a win in Week 18, but they could also climb to the three seed if the Rams lose to the Seahawks. Both the Rams and Buccaneers would be 10-7, but Tampa has the tiebreaker based on conference record. So if the Lions and Buccaneers are to face off in the Wild Card round, the Rams need to at least tie Seattle.
If you prefer a potential Lions vs. Rams first round matchup…
Root for:
- Seahawks over Rams
- Buccaneers over Saints
The only way the Rams fall to the four seed is if they lose and the Buccaneers win.
Personally, I hate this scenario. It means a west coast trip for the Lions in the first round, and yet another week of Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford vs. their former teams storylines.
Unfortunately for me, this also has a pretty high probability of happening. The Rams are seven-point underdogs because they’re resting several starters.
The Rams will sit Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, Kyren Williams, Alaric Jackson and Kevin Dotson and Rob Havenstein is out with a shoulder, per Sean McVay.
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) January 3, 2025
And as previously stated, the Buccaneers are huge favorites over the Saints. So if the Lions happen to lose on Sunday, be prepared to burn those “Detroit Rams” shirts, if you haven’t already.
How about the Lions just win on Sunday night and render this entire article meaningless?
