The Detroit Lions defeated the Minnesota Vikings last week in a battle for the NFC North. The winner of that game received the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the NFC Playoffs, while the loser unfortunately got the No. 5 seed, and a battle against the Los Angeles Rams in LA (which has been moved to Arizona).
The Lions phenomenal season has one goal – to win a Super Bowl. Despite all the injuries, if the Lions fail to reach that goal there is no guarantee they'll be on the precipice again in the years to come. Detroit football fans have learned this the hard way. Barry Sanders, Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford came and went without a single Super Bowl appearance. Heck, Stafford won a Super Bowl eventually – just after he was traded to the Rams.
The NFC Playoffs have yet to play out. None of the game have been played, so theoretically the Lions do not know their opponent. However, I will do my best to predict who the Lions will play. Please, no shooting the messenger.
Who do the Detroit Lions play next in the NFL Playoffs? Well, it depends
The Lions found out their playoff opponents on Sunday night. As the No. 1 seed, they faced the lowest possible seed on the NFC side of the bracket. On Sunday afternoon, the No. 7 Green Bay Packers lost 22-10 to the No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles.
But on Sunday night, the No. 6 Washington Commanders pulled off a colossal upset win over the No. 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Zane Gonzalez attempted the walk-off field goal, which sailed wide right directly into the right upright. The thing is, the football doinked off the post but sailed over the crossbar to clinch the 23-20 win.
Now, the Lions will host the Commanders on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 8:00 p.m. ET on FOX.
Lions vs Commanders matchup history: How Jared Goff plays against Commanders
The Lions and Commanders have not faced off in the regular seaosn, so this is the first time they will meet. As for Jared Goff, he has been in the NFL since 2016. Despite this, he has only played Washington just three times in his career, where he holds a 2-1 record.
In those three games, Goff threw for 784 yards, seven touchdowns, and two interceptions while completing 55-of-88 pass attempts.
The Lions will look to avoid suffering a similar fate to the Buccaneers. This is a team with high expectations, and they've lived up to it, even with the injuries. But the Commanders showed they won't be an easily elimination from the playoffs.