Category: Playoffs

49ers edge Packers, will host NFC Championship game

49ers edge Packers, will host NFC Championship game even if the Lions beat the Buccaneers

It was hard not to dream about the Detroit Lions hosting the NFC Championship game as the postseason rolled into the second weekend. Sure, two outcomes had to happen first — most notably the Lions beating the Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon.

Dream another dream, that dream is over before the Lions even played. That’s because the San Francisco 49ers held off the Green Bay Packers in a very close game on Saturday night. Niners LB Dre Greenlaw picked off Packers QB Jordan Love for the second time of the game on Green Bay’s final drive, sealing a 24-21 comeback win in Santa Clara.

Because the 49ers are the top seed, they will host the NFC Championship game next Sunday no matter who wins the Lions-Buccaneers game. The Lions host Tampa Bay for the right to move on and play for a shot to get into the Super Bowl.

Vikings Twitter reacts to the Packers brutal loss vs. 49ers

Minnesota Vikings fans took to Twitter with their excitement over the Green Bay Packers loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

The Minnesota Vikings aren’t in the 2023 NFL playoffs but there are still rooting interests for them.

With two NFC North teams in the playoffs heading into the divisional round of the playoffs, fans of the purple and gold can either cheer for their division rivals or hope for their downfall.

On Saturday night, the Green Bay Packers led for the majority of the second-half against the San Francisco 49ers but they couldn’t hold onto the lead in a 24-21 loss.

Needless to say, Vikings fans were enjoying the loss in a major way and took to Twitter to show their excitement.

Former Bears players on 2024 divisional playoff teams

Here’s a look at the former Bears who are playing in the divisional round this weekend:

The NFL 2024 postseason continues with the divisional playoffs, which will feature four games over the next two days.

While the Bears have missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, there are some familiar faces for fans to watch for this weekend, including linebacker Roquan Smith, running back David Montgomery and edge rusher Leonard Floyd.

Here’s a look at the former Bears who are playing in the divisional round:

20 potential free agent Vikings targets Saturday’s Divisional round

These free agents could potentially be targets for the Minnesota Vikings and are worth watching during Saturday’s Divisional Round games

With the Minnesota Vikings entering year three of the Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell era, it’s a very pivotal offseason. Over the first two seasons, the Vikings sit at 20-14 and should have more injury luck next season.

The divisional round of the National Football League playoffs has eight excellent teams with players that are about to hit free agency.

There are two great matchups on Saturday night with the Houston Texans taking on the Baltimore Ravens and the Green Bay Packers taking on the San Francisco 49ers.

In both of these matchups, there are plenty of free agents to be that could be intriguing pieces for the Vikings and worth keeping your eye on during the games.

Lions, Buccaneers announce uniform choices for divisional round

The Lions and Buccaneers announced their uniforms and Dan Campbell’s squad is going with their lucky charm choice with blueberry.

The Detroit Lions are preparing for their second home playoff game of the year on Saturday. They are dotting their eyes, crossing their t’s, and players are getting healthy. Everything is settling in except one thing, the uniforms. 

The Lions have had some fun uniforms this year but none have been as lucky as their blueberries. As a subtle nod to the Michigan blueberry farming, which is one of the biggest in the world, it has become a lucky charm of sorts. 

Going back to the regular season, the Lions had been 5-0 while wearing them and had averaged 33 points per game. They improved that record to 6-0 when they wore them this past Sunday when they defeated the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL’s Wildcard Round. They now hope it will move to 7-0 as they announced the team will be wearing them on Saturday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Dan Campbell and Todd Bowles agree: The Bucs are a lot better now than in the Week 6 meeting

Detroit head coach Dan Campbell and Tamp Bay head coach Todd Bowles agree: The Bucs are a lot better now than in the Week 6 meeting

The Detroit Lions went into Tampa and beat the Buccaneers, 20-6, back in Week 6. Now the two teams, winners of their respective NFC divisions, will rematch in Ford Field in the Divisional Round of the playoffs on Sunday.

Both Lions head coach Dan Campbell and Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles know not to expect a replay of the first matchup. The Buccaneers are playing some very sharp football lately, coming from third place and 4-6 after Week 11 to win the NFC South.

“We were where we were at that time of the year,” Bowles said via Rick Stroud of TampaBay.com. “I don’t wish we would’ve done anything different or we wouldn’t have learned from it. They’re a very good team. They’re coached very well. Very fast, very physical. An electric crowd is going to be up there. Wish we hadn’t done anything different, but we’ve got to learn from it.”

Bowles continued,

“We’re a different team now. We’re mentally tougher. I think we’ve gotten stronger from it, and we learned some things. We’re still piecing it together, but we’re happy where we’re at.”

Bowles can look at Monday night for validation. The Eagles had beaten the Buccaneers, 25-11, on Monday Night Football in Week 3 in Tampa Bay. The Bucs dominated the rematch in the wild card round, however. Bowles’ team won 32-9 and it wasn’t that close of a contest, either.

His Lions counterpart agrees. Campbell noted on Wednesday,

“They’re another one of these hottest teams going getting into the playoffs. So, they’re doing things right. They had to find a way to get over the hump and clean a few things up, but they never got panicked and never went in the tank.”

Or, as Campbell succinctly surmised,

“This is a better team than when we faced them. They’re playing better football, but we’re better too.”

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Lions vs. Buccaneers will rematch in the postseason

Detroit won the Week 6 matchup in Tampa, 20-6

Back in Week 6, the Detroit Lions traveled to Tampa Bay and beat the Buccaneers 20-6. Walking away from that defensive struggle of a game, it might have seemed far-fetched that the two teams would face off again after playoff victories, but that’s exactly where the division champs are now.

This time around, the Buccaneers and Lions will meet in Detroit. The Divisional Round matchup raises the stakes considerably from the first matchup in mid-October.

The Lions vanquished the Rams, 24-23, on Sunday night. Tampa Bay smoked the Philadelphia Eagles, 32-9, on Monday night to set up the rematch. The two teams will square off again in Ford Field at 3 p.m. on Sunday, January 21st.

Bears now have the longest playoff winless streak in NFC North

The Bears haven’t won a playoff game in over 10 years.

The Detroit Lions defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 24-23, in Sunday’s wild-card playoff game, snapping a 32-year winless streak in the postseason to advance to the divisional round.

With Detroit’s winless streak snapped, the Chicago Bears now have the longest playoff winless streak in the NFC North, which spans 13 years.

Chicago’s last postseason win came on Jan. 16, 2011, when the Bears defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 35-24, with quarterback Jay Cutler at the helm. Lovie Smith was the head coach.

For what it’s worth, the Bears have made the playoffs two times since their last postseason win — in 2018 and 2020 — and went 0-2.

Chicago suffered a heartbreaking 16-15 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018, now infamously known as the Double Doink loss. The Bears were also the beneficiary of the additional wild-card spot in 2020, when they snuck into the playoffs after a 8-8 season. They suffered a rough 21-9 loss to the New Orleans Saints in the wild-card round.

While Chicago has the longest winless playoff streak in the division, it’s far from the longest in the NFL. The Miami Dolphins haven’t won a playoff game in 23 years, the Las Vegas Raiders haven’t won in 21 years and the Washington Commanders haven’t won in 18 years.

The NFC North has two teams heading to the divisional playoffs — the Lions and the Green Bay Packers, who upset the Dallas Cowboys, 48-32.

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Studs & Duds for the Lions playoff victory over the Rams

The Detroit Lions Studs and Duds for their playoff victory over the Los Angeles Rams

The Detroit Lions have finally broken a decades-long playoff drought, securing their first playoff victory in over 30 years with a narrow 24-23 win against the Los Angeles Rams.

The Lions dominated the early stages of the game, establishing an early lead. However, the second half became a defensive battle where the Lions showcased their supremacy by making crucial stops. Despite the mainstream media framing the game as Matthew Stafford’s return to Detroit, it was, in fact, Jared Goff’s revenge against his former team that ultimately led Detroit to victory.

The entire Lions community is buzzing with excitement on this triumphant day, with well-deserved praise circulating. While there is much to celebrate, there are also areas that need attention as the Lions gear up for the next round, where they will face either the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the Philadelphia Eagles. Let’s delve into this week’s Studs and Duds from the Lions’ playoff victory against the Rams.

NFL wild card Monday and its impact on the Lions

NFL wild card Monday and its impact on the Lions and their next playoff game

The Detroit Lions after 31 years are now looking ahead to the divisional round of the playoffs. With that comes the eagerness to know who the Lions will host for another home playoff game and on Monday night they will have that answer.

After the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Buffalo Bills are done playing in the snow, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles will face off. We know the winner of that, based on earlier results, will be who the Lions play host to. To go even further, the time and viewing place is also already in place, with it taking place at 3:00 PM EST on NBC.

The Lions will get a full week’s rest with no change to the schedule they carry most of the year from Monday to Sunday.

The impact of the full week being in play should allow for Sam LaPorta to continue to rehab from his knee injury. The rookie tight end played against the Rams on was able to make what would be the last and most important touchdown of the game.

One last important note: the last matchup the Lions had with the Buccaneers came in Week 6 of this season. They won 20-6, with Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown leading the way for the entire team. Their last matchup with the Eagles came in 2022 during the opening week of the season. They lost that game 38-35, but it took the Eagles to make a game-winning field goal to knock them out.

Either way, next week’s game is going to be another one for the ages.

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