Editor’s note: This story was updated Sunday night after the Packers were eliminated by the Eagles, 22-10.
Who will the Detroit Lions play next week in the NFL playoffs divisional round and when?
We’re about to find out.
We know the Lions will play either Saturday, Jan. 18 or Sunday, Jan. 19 at Ford Field in their third home playoff game in two seasons after going 30 years without one.
It depends on who wins the NFC wild-card games this Sunday and Monday.
Here’s a look at scenarios for the Lions’ first playoff opponent as they try to make history as the first Lions team to reach the Super Bowl.
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Who will the Lions play next week in NFL playoffs?
The NFL re-seeds teams after the wild-card round, meaning the Lions are guaranteed to play the lowest-ranked team to win its first playoff game.
Entering Sunday night’s game, the Lions can play one of three teams: 6-seed Washington Commanders, 5-seed Minnesota Vikings or 4-seed Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round at Ford Field.
The Lions are a combined 3-0 against those three opponents, going 2-0 against the Vikings and 1-0 against the Rams. They did not play the Commanders this season.
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How would Lions play Commanders in divisional round?
If the Commanders beat the Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football (8 p.m., NBC) they will travel to Ford Field to take on the Lions likely next Saturday night. (The Rams-Vikings winner must play next Sunday following this week’s Monday night contest, and the NFL usually splits up divisional round games with one AFC and one NFC game each day.)
The Commanders were three-point underdogs at Tampa Bay.
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How would Lions play Vikings in divisional round?
“I’ll see you in two weeks.” That’s what Lions coach Dan Campbell told Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell in the postgame greeting last week following the Lions’ 31-9 punishing to clinch the NFC’s 1-seed.
The Bucs need to win Sunday to set up the Vikings-Rams winner to come to Detroit for a game next Sunday.
The Vikings are a 2½-point favorite over the Rams with the game moved to Arizona due to Los Angeles-area wildfires.
How would Lions play Rams in divisional round?
If all three NFC home teams win in the wild-card round, the Lions will host the 4-seed Rams at Ford Field next Sunday in the divisional playoffs. This would be a wild-card playoff rematch from a year ago, won 24-23 by the Lions to snap a 32-year postseason winless drought.
Lions playoff opponent prediction for divisional round
Who will the Lions play in their first postseason matchup in next week’s divisional round at Ford Field?
Detroit Free Press longtime Lions insider Dave Birkett picked each wild-card game this weekend and has the Lions facing the Rams. The game would take place Sunday, Jan. 19 in Detroit, the third meeting between the two teams at the stadium in the past 12 months: The Lions won 24-23 in last year’s wild-card game and 26-20 in overtime in Week 1 this season.
Check out our entire game-by-game NFL bracket predictions and our Free Press writers’ Super Bowl picks.
Stay tuned for the best Lions coverage throughout the playoffs and all year long at freep.com/sports/lions.
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