The Detroit Lions are really close of clinching the NFC North and will be a dangerous team in the road to the Super Bowl. Head coach Dan Campbell has made an impressive turnaround helped by great performances of quarterback Jared Goff.
Goff arrived to the Lions after a blockbuster trade with the Rams for Matthew Stafford. Detroit sent their star quarterback in exchange for Jared, a 2021 third-round pick, a 2022 first-round pick and a 2023 first-round pick.
In that moment, it was a clear message from Sean McVay and the Rams. We don’t believe in Jared Goff. Shortly after that, the gamble paid when Stafford led Los Angeles to win the Lombardi trophy against the Cincinnati Bengals.
However, Jared Goff persisted and established himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. The big problem is that trade could come back to haunt him once again.
Detroit Lions could face Matthew Stafford in the playoffs
Right now, the Detroit Lions are the No.3 seed in the NFC and would host the Rams as Los Angeles jumped to the No.6 seed thanks to their win on Thursday Night Football against the New Orleans Saints.
The Lions haven’t won a playoff game since the 1991 season when they won 38-6 over the Dallas Cowboys at the Pontiac Silverdome. Just imagine that scenario. Their first obstacle to do it would be Matthew Stafford.
Who will have home-field advantage in the NFC?
The San Francisco 49ers have a record of 11-3 and hold the No. 1 seed with a possible bye week. The Dallas Cowboys are No. 2 with a record of 10-4, followed by the Detroit Lions at No. 3 (10-4). Despite a record of 7-7, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the No. 4 seed as division leaders.
In the wild card race, the Eagles are No.5 with a 10-4 record, but they still control their destiny to win the NFC East. So, the Cowboys could still fall to this spot. The Rams are No.6 with 8-7 and the Vikings sit at No.7 with 7-7.
The combination of No.2 vs No.7 and No.3 vs No.6 makes it very probable to find a Lions vs Rams matchup in the first round of the playoffs. The expectation around that game would be massive.