Scenarios for who they play and when

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 divisional round of the NFL playoffs and when?

We’re about to find out.

We know that the Lions will play in their third home playoff game in two seasons at Ford Field on either Saturday, January 18th or Sunday, January 19th after going 30 years without a playoff appearance.

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 look to make history as the first Lions team to reach the Super Bowl.

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Who will the Lions play in the NFL playoffs next week?

The NFL resets teams after the wild card round, meaning the Lions are guaranteed to face the lowest-ranked team to win their first playoff game.

Heading into Sunday night’s game, the Lions can face one of three teams in the divisional round at Ford Field: the sixth-seeded Washington Commanders, the fifth-seeded Minnesota Vikings or the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Rams.

The Lions are 3-0 overall against these three opponents, 2-0 against the Vikings and 1-0 against the Rams. They haven’t played against the Commanders this season.

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How would the Lions play against the Commanders in the divisional round?

If the Commanders beat the Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football (8 p.m., NBC), they will likely travel to Ford Field to face the Lions next Saturday night. (The Rams-Vikings winner must play the next Sunday after that week’s Monday night contest, and the NFL typically splits divisional round games into one AFC and one NFC game per day.)

The Commanders were three-point underdogs in Tampa Bay.

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How would the Lions play against the Vikings in the divisional round?

“I’ll see you in two weeks.” That’s what Lions coach Dan Campbell told Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell last week in the postgame greeting after the Lions went 31-9 to finish in first place in the NFC.

The Bucs need to win on Sunday in order for the Vikings-Rams winner to get to Detroit for a game next Sunday.

The Vikings lead the Rams by 2½ points because the game was moved to Arizona due to wildfires in the Los Angeles area.

How would the Lions play against the Rams in the divisional round?

If all three home NFC teams win in the wild-card round, the Lions will host the four-seeded Rams at Ford Field next Sunday in the divisional playoffs. That was a wild-card playoff rematch from a year ago, which the Lions won 24-23, ending a 32-year winless postseason drought.

Lions Divisional Round Playoff Opponent Prediction

Who will the Lions play in their first postseason game in the divisional round next week at Ford Field?

Longtime Detroit Free Press insider Dave Birkett picked every Wild Card game this weekend, pitting the Lions against the Rams. The game would take place on Sunday, January 19th in Detroit, the third meeting between the two teams at the stadium in the last 12 months: The Lions won last year 24-23 in the wild card game and 26-20 in overtime in the Week 1 this season.

Check out our entire play-by-play NFL predictions and Super Bowl picks from our Free Press writers.

Stay tuned for the best Lions coverage during the playoffs and all year long freep.com/sports/lions.

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Scenarios for who they play and when

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