A look ahead to the NFL Divisional Round of the playoffs, and what it may hold for the Detroit Lions.
The Detroit Lions will spend Wild Card weekend at home, resting, relaxing, and possibly preparing for whoever will be their opponent in the Divisional Round of the 2024-25 NFL playoffs. Who—and when—they play will be determined by the playoff games this upcoming weekend.
Let’s dive into those Wild Card matchups, and look forward to when the Lions’ playoff game may be played next.
NFC Wild Card schedule
Sunday, January 12
- 4:30 p.m. ET — 7 Green Bay Packers at 2 Philadelphia Eagles (FOX)
- 8 p.m. ET — 6 Washington Commanders at 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NBC)
Monday, January 13
- 8 p.m. ET — 5 Minnesota Vikings at 4 Los Angeles Rams (ESPN/ABC)
Who will the Lions play?
The Lions will play the lowest-seeded team remaining. That means they will not play the Eagles or the Buccaneers because it’s guaranteed there will be either the 4 or 5 seed still alive in the playoffs. If the Packers beat the Eagles, it is guaranteed that the Lions will face off against Green Bay, since they’re the lowest seed in the playoffs.
If the Eagles and Buccaneers both take care of business, we’ll know going into Monday night that the Lions will face the winner of Vikings vs. Rams.
When do the Lions play next?
The second round of the playoffs—the Divisional Round—has four timeslots, with the matchups yet to be determined:
- Saturday, January 18 — 4:30 p.m. ET
- Saturday, January 18 — 8:15 p.m. ET
- Sunday, January 19 — 3 p.m. ET
- Sunday, January 19 — 6:30 p.m. ET
One important note: If the Lions play the winner of the 4/5 matchup (Rams or Vikings), the NFL is unlikely to schedule that matchup on Saturday, as it would give Los Angeles or Minnesota a very short week.
