No. 1 seed in the NFC
This is the other storyline involved in that Vikings-Lions game, and it’s even more significant. The winner of that game lands the coveted first-round bye, now that Philadelphia has fallen out of the race for that prize. There’s also no doubt about which team needs it more. The Lions would benefit immensely from a week of rest, given all their health problems. They also understand how much a potential home game for the NFC championship could mean to their Super Bowl dreams. After all, the Lions held a 17-point halftime lead over San Francisco on the road in last year’s conference title game, only to watch the 49ers rally to win. That might have been a different result had Detroit been playing in front of its home crowd. The Vikings fans can be equally raucous and an immense aid to a disruptive defense that has ranked among the league leaders in sacks all season. Let’s also not forget how deep the NFC field will be in this postseason. At least two NFC North teams will be wild cards (the Packers and either the Lions or Vikings), and all of them will be hard to beat. So, it’s best to have a week away from that carnage. It says here that the Lions earn that privilege, as well.