Is anyone going to beat the Lions in the NFC? It might be down to 2 viable contenders

We saw last season what Ford Field looks like for a Detroit Lions playoff game. It was perhaps the best atmosphere in the NFL.

Imagine what it would be like if the Lions were two home wins from a Super Bowl, as the NFC’s No. 1 seed.

A fairly miraculous win at the Houston Texans last week has the Lions at 8-1 and in good shape for the top seed and a bye. The Lions have been the best team in the NFC, perhaps the NFL, and it’s getting harder to figure out who might knock off Detroit in January.

But here’s a reminder that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did beat the Lions in a fluky game all the way back in Week 2, when the Bucs were out-gained 463-216. Fluky losses can happen, even in the playoffs.

Jahmyr Gibbs and the Detroit Lions have the inside track to the No. 1 seed in the NFC. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

The Lions are far from unbeatable and the NFC should have a good playoff field, but only two teams really stand out as dangers to keep Detroit from its first Super Bowl. Here’s a look at the potential playoff foils for the Lions:

Good but probably not: Vikings, Packers, Commanders, Cardinals, Falcons

We’re not accepting applications from teams under .500 at this point. The NFC is too deep for that. So while a team like the Chicago Bears or Buccaneers could make a run and then be a giant killer in January, we’ll wait to see it happen.

There are arguments to be made for the Vikings and Packers, though the biggest problem is the Lions have already beat both of them on the road. It makes it hard to pick either to win at Ford Field in a playoff game, though each team is capable. Especially if Minnesota can fix Sam Darnold’s turnover slump.

The Commanders, Cardinals and Falcons all fall in the same bucket. They can all score, but it’s hard to imagine their defenses being good enough to slow down the Lions. The Commanders and Cardinals defenses in particular have been much better than expected, but are they stopping Detroit? Probably not. They’ll depend on outscoring…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-11-13 15:34:32

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