The Detroit Lions are in the best position of any NFC playoff team this weekend as they get to rest up ahead of a home Divisional Round matchup.
A dominant 31-9 win against their division rival Minnesota Vikings helped them to secure the one seed heading into the playoffs.
The Lions will be boosted by the return of star running back David Montgomery after an MCL injury which saw him miss the final three weeks of the season.
They’re still down many defensive players – a unit which has been decimated and struggled to perform in their final games of the regular season.
Dan Campbell portioned the blame on the Lions running game for some poor performances a few weeks ago, but Jahmyr Gibbs scored all four of their touchdowns last weekend and reminded everyone of his talent.
They have one of the most potent offenses heading into the post-season and no one will want to play in front of their incredibly noisy fanbase – a tricky proposition for any NFL team to face.
Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images
Dan Campbell says Detroit Lions managing their first NFC one seed is ‘unbelievable’
The Lions went 30 years without winning the NFC North before ending that streak last season with a terrific campaign.
They went all the way to the NFC Championship game before losing to the San Francisco 49ers, despite holding a 17-point lead at one stage.
It was all achieved without any rest, but this year they ensured they would get one week off by beating the Vikings to secure their first-ever NFC one seed.
Speaking in the locker room after the game, head coach Dan Campbell was excited about what they have achieved over the last few years.
“All I can think about is man, we’ve been forged in this stuff now,” he said. “This has been three years in the making. Some of it four. That just doesn’t happen.
“You’ve got to work through it, grind through it and go through the downs to get to the ups of where we’re at. That was unbelievable man. Division winners, back-to-back seasons and the number one seed!”
The Detroit Lions are the NFC favourite to make the Super Bowl
The Lions have two huge home games ahead of them if they want to make their first-ever Super Bowl. They’re the only NFC team that has never reached the game.
A packed house of fans, a recovered team and a desire to make history will all be pushing them against whoever they play over the next three weeks.
Their defense has to step up and avoid a repeat of the 32.5 points per game they allowed in December, but all the time that Jared Goff is firing they have a chance.
Goff has achieved crazy things with Amon-Ra St. Brown is another big reason why they’ve made it this far, and it’s a duo they will have to lean heavily on to get to where they want to be.
Expect more of the same gutsy fourth-down play calls from Campbell and for his team to be involved in a shootout with whichever teams they come across.