DETROIT – The first-place Detroit Lions are heading to Tampa Bay this weekend to take on the first-place Buccaneers in a game that could have major ramifications for NFC playoff seeding.
It’s only Week 6, but the hierarchy of playoff contenders in the NFC is starting to come into much clearer focus.
At the top, you’ve got the undefeated San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles. Those were the top two seeds last season, they both went to the NFC Championship Game, and they’ve done nothing to suggest they won’t be the top seeds again.
So if we assume, for now, that the winners of the North and South divisions will be the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds, that makes this weekend’s matchup quite a bit more interesting.
The Lions currently have a two-game lead in the NFC North, and they’re very clearly the best team in the division. Tampa Bay’s grip on the South isn’t quite as strong, but it’s fair to say the Buccaneers are the early favorite.
At 3-1, the Buccaneers lead the Saints and Falcons (both 3-2) by a half-game. That’s not much of a cushion, but Tampa Bay already went into New Orleans and beat the Saints by 17 points.
I’d say that’s a pretty emphatic first statement.
If the Lions and Buccaneers do end up winning their respective divisions, then this weekend’s game could loom large when January rolls around.
Sunday’s winner will not only take a one-game lead over the loser in the loss column -- it will also have the luxury of only needing to finish in a tie at the end of the regular season. That’s because the first playoff seeding tiebreaker is head-to-head result.
What’s the difference between being No. 3 and No. 4 in the NFC? A team like Seattle seems likely to earn the top wildcard spot, and that could be a much tougher game for the No. 4 seed than hosting, say, the Cowboys or Rams as the No. 3 seed.
Every week has meaning for the Lions if they’re en route to hosting their first playoff game in 30 years. It might be a tall order to catch the 49ers or Eagles, but with a win this weekend, that No. 3 seed will start to come into clearer focus.