Would you rather the Detroit Lions clinch the NFC’s No. 1 seed this week or build up drama for a Week 18 thriller?
The Detroit Lions are on the verge of winning back-to-back NFC North titles, but they’re going to need some help to do it this week. If the Green Bay Packers beat the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, the Lions would just need to beat the San Francisco 49ers to not only clinch the division but walk into Week 18 with the conference’s No. 1 seed already wrapped up. That would give the Lions an opportunity to rest some ailing starters—if they want—but, more importantly, they wouldn’t run the risk of losing to the Vikings and falling all the way down to the No. 5 seed in the playoffs.
However, some Lions fans don’t love the idea of rooting for the Packers this week. Understandably, that franchise has been public enemy No. 1 for the Lions, and given that Green Bay is starting to gain some steam as they head to the postseason, maybe a confidence-boosting win over the Vikings would be a net negative.
Plus, there is something fun about the idea of Lions vs. Vikings being a high-stakes regular season finale. Last year, the Lions clinched the NFC North in Minnesota. Now, the Vikings could have their shot at revenge—or the Lions could establish their dominance over Minnesota.
So today’s Question of the Day is:
Do you want Lions vs. Vikings to be for the NFC North and the No. 1 seed?
My answer: Absolutely not.
For one, I have very selfish reasons. If Lions/Vikings have all of those stakes, it will almost certainly be the “Sunday Night Football” game to close out the regular season, and quite frankly, I hate covering night games. I get home no earlier than 2 a.m., and I don’t love the idea of a sleepless night heading into the playoffs.
But beyond that, why leave anything up to chance? Sure, the drama would be fun, but six of the last eight games in this rivalry have been decided by a single score. They’re very evenly matched teams, which means all it would take is one bad officiating call or one bad bounce of the football, and the Lions’ historic season could result in a mere five seed in the playoffs.
It’s not that I’m scared of Minnesota—I’d almost certainly be picking the Lions to win that game—it’s just I know that football results can be wacky. The best team doesn’t always win, so let’s just lock up everything this week, and cruise into Week 18 with everything Detroit wanted to accomplish in the regular season already in the bag.