The Detroit Lions head into the Divisional Round off the back of their first NFL playoff win in over 30 years. Detroit will now host its second-straight playoff game, this time against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and could yet have a chance to host the NFC Championship Game.
With the assistance of the free PFN NFL playoff predictor, let’s examine the potential opponents for the Lions in the NFC Championship Game and where the game could be played.
Who Are the Potential NFL Playoff Opponents for the Detroit Lions?
When the Lions take to the field on Sunday, they will already know whether it will be the Green Bay Packers or San Francisco 49ers who potentially await them in the NFC Championship Game. Additionally, the Lions will know whether that game will be at Ford Field or at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
The way that the NFL playoffs works is that the highest-seeded team remaining in the bracket hosts the lower-seeded team. Therefore, if the 49ers win, then as the No. 1 seed they would host the Lions in the NFC Championship Game. In contrast, if the No. 7-seeded Packers win, they would head to Detroit to play for a Super Bowl spot.
Normally we see teams and head coaches be a little coy about who they want to face in the next round. Coaches and players will often say they will just beat whoever is in front of them, but with the difference being a home or road game, the Lions likely would not hide they want the Packers to beat the 49ers.
However, given the rivalry between the two NFC North teams, that might be a somewhat bitter statement to make publicly. Ultimately, Dan Campbell and his team will believe they can overcome whatever is put in front of them. Whether that be the pressure of a home playoff game against one of their biggest rivals or a road playoff game against a virtually complete team, they will believe they have a chance.
The intriguing element, if they face the Packers, would be that Green Bay beat Detroit at Ford Field this year. In their Thanksgiving Day game, the Packers prevailed 29-22 in a game that the Lions never really had any control over for the final three quarters.
Then again, Campbell would just simply point to the fact his team had won the previous five games against the Packers before that meeting on Thanksgiving. In terms of postseason meetings, Detroit is 0-2 all-time against Green Bay, but they have not met in the playoffs since the 1994 season.
MORE: NFL Playoff Bracket
The Lions’ recent record against the 49ers is not quite as pretty as against the Packers. Detroit has won just one of its previous 12 meetings against San Francisco. However, those 12 games are spread over 27 years, so the overall impact of that record should be minimal.
The two teams have only met once since Campbell took over the role as the Lions’ head coach. That was actually Campbell’s first game in charge back in Week 1 of the 2021 season. In a game that the 49ers ultimately won 41-33, they opened up with 38-10 and 41-17 leads before a late flurry from the Lions made it a one-score game with a minute to play.
The battling spirit we saw from the Lions in that game was indicative of what we have seen during Campbell’s tenure and what we can expect to see for as long as they remain in the race for the Lombardi Trophy this postseason.
Want to predict the results of the 2023 NFL postseason with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? How about looking into in-depth breakdowns of team depth charts or the NFL playoff schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with all that and more!
