After a thrilling victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Sunday night’s Super Wild Card game, the Detroit Lions’ winless postseason run has finally come to an end.
The Lions, playing their first playoff home game in 30 years, defeated the Rams 24-23, largely due to a potent offensive first half and a solid defensive performance after the break.
The Lions’ triumph in the first round of the playoffs gave them an advantage against former franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford. The veteran returned to Ford Field, where he played for the Rams for the first 12 seasons of his career. The quarterback was selected by the Lions with the first overall pick in 2009, and was traded in January 2021 for Jared Goff and several other draft picks.
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The Lions’ next task is a divisional round home game next week, either against the Philadelphia Eagles or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Lions won’t find out who they will play next until 8:15 p.m. on Monday, when the Eagles and Buccaneers play the Wild Card game.
Due to the Green Bay Packers’ victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, Ford stadium, the home Stadium of the Lions, will host its second consecutive playoff game. If they had prevailed, the Cowboys, who had the No. 2 seed in the NFC, would have hosted the Lions in the divisional round.
However, because the Packers managed to pull together a surprise victory, they will now have to go to San Francisco next week to play the 49ers, who are the top seed. The No. 3 seed Lions will now play host to the No. 4 or No. 5 seed Buccaneers or Eagles.
When is the Lions vs Eagles/Bucs divisional round game?
The Detroit Lions had not hosted a playoff game in 30 years prior to their victory against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night. As a result, they will only have to wait seven days for their second home playoff game in a week.
Next week, the Lions will play in the divisional round of the playoffs against either the Philadelphia Eagles or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, based on who wins on Monday night.
The game is scheduled for 3:00 PM on Sunday, January 21. Shortly after Jared Goff led Detroit to a 24-23 win over Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, the kickoff time for the next round was declared.
Detroit is participating in the divisional round for the first time in 33 years. The 1991 squad defeated the Dallas Cowboys handily in the Divisional Round, but ultimately fell short against the eventual Super Bowl champion Washington Redskins in the NFC Championship Game.
