Expect Lions to beat Vikings in showdown for NFC’s No. 1 seed
By Rob Maaddi
The Associated Press
This is the game Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions (-3) have waited for since losing to the 49ers in last season’s NFC championship game.
Getting the No. 1 seed has been Detroit’s goal and it’ll come down to beating Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings, who have been the surprise of the NFL this season. Lions, 30-26
Elsewhere:
Houston at Tennessee (-1): The playoff-bound Texans are underdogs because they’re locked into the AFC’s No. 4 seed. But coach DeMeco Ryans plans to play his starters after Houston was embarrassed by Baltimore on Christmas Day. Best bet: Texans, 27-12
New York Giants at Philadelphia (-2): Saquon Barkley’s pursuit of Eric Dickerson’s 40-year-old rushing record got grounded. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni isn’t planning to play Barkley and other starters because his team is locked into the NFC’s No. 2 seed. Upset special: Giants, 22-20
Cleveland at Baltimore (-17.5): Lamar Jackson and the Ravens need a victory to clinch the AFC North and the No. 3 seed. The Browns have lost five in a row, currently hold the third pick in the draft and have a chance at No. 1 if the Patriots and Titans win. Ravens, 30-13
Cincinnati (-2) at Pittsburgh: The Steelers have lost three in a row and could be eliminated from the division race by kickoff. If the Ravens beat the Browns, Pittsburgh will be either the fifth or sixth seed. The Bengals need a win and the Broncos and Dolphins to lose to sneak into the playoffs. Bengals, 24-20
Carolina at Atlanta (-8.5): The Falcons lost control of their NFC South hopes by losing to Washington. Atlanta only gets into the playoffs with a win and the Buccaneers losing to the Saints. Falcons, 27-17
Washington (-4.5) at Dallas: Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels has led an impressive turnaround in Washington, taking the Commanders to the playoffs. Coach Dan Quinn wants the team to play for the sixth seed so he’s not resting starters. Commanders, 27-20
Chicago at Green Bay (-10): Caleb Williams and the Bears haven’t won a game since losing on a Hail Mary pass to Daniels and the Commanders. They could snap that 10-game losing streak if Packers coach Matt LaFleur rests his starters. Green Bay can finish no higher than the sixth seed in the NFC. Packers, 24-20
Jacksonville t Indianapolis (-5): With their playoff hopes on life support, the Colts couldn’t even beat the woeful Giants. Colts, 26-16
Buffalo (-2.5) at New England: Josh Allen’s MVP resume is complete and the Bills are locked into the No. 2 seed, so coach Sean McDermott plans to rest some starters. Allen will start his 115th consecutive game and give way to Mitchell Trubisky. The Patriots have the No. 1 pick in the draft and shouldn’t jeopardize that. Benching Drake Maye is an option for New England, which could benefit from trading that top pick for more draft capital. Bills, 23-17
New Orleans at Tampa Bay (-13.5): The Buccaneers are one win away from their fourth straight NFC South title. Baker Mayfield still has an outside chance to lead the NFL in TD passes. The Saints are wrapping up a nightmarish season and then will begin their search for a new coach. Buccaneers, 34-17
Kansas City at Denver (-10.5): The Broncos need a victory to clinch their first playoff appearance since winning a Super Bowl nine years ago. Standing in their way will be a bunch of backups led by Carson Wentz filling in for Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs clinched the AFC’s No. 1 seed and will be home for the playoffs to continue their three-peat quest. Broncos, 26-23
Los Angeles Chargers (-5) at Las Vegas: Jim Harbaugh plans to play to win even though the Chargers are assured either the fifth or sixth seed in the AFC. The Raiders have won two in a row to fall out of the running for Shedeur Sanders unless they trade up in the draft. Chargers, 24-17
Seattle (-6.5) at Los Angeles Rams: The NFC West champion Rams will be the third or fourth seed, so coach Sean McVay is resting Matthew Stafford and starting Jimmy Garoppolo. The Seahawks could finish with the same number of wins as the division champs but already lost the tiebreaker. Seahawks, 25-16
San Francisco at Arizona (-4): The Cardinals were in good shape in the NFC West at 6-4, but lost five of six to miss the playoffs for the eighth time in nine seasons. The 49ers couldn’t overcome too many injuries and inconsistency and won’t be defending their NFC title. Cardinals, 26-20
Miami (-1) at New York Jets: The Dolphins could go into a must-win game with Tyler Huntley again instead of Tua Tagovailoa, who has a hip injury. The Dolphins would make the playoffs with a victory if the Chiefs beat the Broncos. Dolphins, 20-17
Last week: 13-3. Against spread: 6-10
Overall: Straight up: 181-75. Against spread: 137-115-4.
Prime time: Straight up: 42-14. Against spread: 29-26-1.
Best Bet: Straight up: 10-7. Against spread: 9-8.
Upset Special: Straight up: 9-8. Against spread: 9-8.