Fansided

NFL Wild Card weekend watchability rankings

By Andrew Dowdeswell

Jan 1, 2017; Detroit, MI, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) warms up before the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2017; Detroit, MI, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) warms up before the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 1, 2017; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate (15) scores a touchdown during the second quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2017; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate (15) scores a touchdown during the second quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Detroit Lions at Seattle Seahawks

While the AFC struggles to produce six sides worthy of watching in the postseason (that may be slightly unfair given the quarterback injuries), the NFC is packed with fantastically flawed matchups. I’ll get to the real headliner soon, the one must-watch game of the weekend, but the tasty tie on Saturday night is not much worse.

The Detroit Lions haven’t won a playoff game since Michael Jackson was top of the charts with Black or White. Oh, how times have changed! The Lions, after losing their last three, including the Week 17 loss at home to the Packers which resigned them to another year without an NFC North title and a road date with the Seattle Seahawks.

However, this is not the same, dominant Seahawks team that went to two consecutive Super Bowls and nearly made it another last year with a barnstorming comeback against eventual NFC Champions, the Carolina Panthers, in the divisional round. They have struggled on offense, held hostage by a young and inexperienced offensive line, and are not the suffocating defense of even 12 months ago, primarily due to the injury of star safety Earl Thomas.

This, then, is one of the more even ties of the weekend and, given the potential heartbreak for the Lions, the ‘Comeback King’ abilities of Matthew Stafford and the pedigree of Seattle, could be a very exciting encounter.

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