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| DETROIT LIONS (9-7) | WC | SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (10-5-1) |
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| Date: | 7 January 2017 |
Location: | Seattle, WA |
| Time: | 7:15 PM Central | Stadium: | Centurylink Field |
| TV: | NBC | Radio: | XM Ch 225 (DET)/82 (SEA) Sirius Ch 81 (DET)/82 SEA) |
| TV Announcers: | Al Michaels Cris Collinsworth |
Know Thy Foes: |
Pride of Detroit Field Gulls |
| Weather: | 34 degrees, Winds from E at 5 MPH, 100% chance of wintry precip | ||
| Line: | Seattle -8, Over/Under 44 (Thanks to the SB Nation Odds page) | ||
| Chris' Prediction: | Seahawks 24, Lions 17 | ||
| Final Score: | Seahawks 26, Lions 6 | ||
The second of Saturday's two wild card games will take place in the Pacific Northwest, and the weather is calling for a sloppy track at Centurylink Field, as the Seattle Seahawks will play host to the Detroit Lions.
The Lions have fallen apart a bit over the past few weeks, as they've dropped three consecutive games and missed a chance to win the NFC North for the first time since 1993 with their loss last week against Green Bay. The injury to Matthew Stafford's throwing hand has cooled him off significantly, and the Lions haven't been able to score points at the rate they had been before he got hurt.
The Seahawks didn't exactly cover themselves with glory down the stretch this season, as they got demolished in Green Bay, lost to Arizona, and struggled to beat San Francisco over the season's final four weeks. (They blew out Los Angeles, but I'm not sure if that counts.) Their vaunted defense doesn't appear to be quite the same since the season-ending injury to Earl Thomas, but it's unclear whether or not the Detroit offense can take advantage.
Earlier this week, I was all set to take Detroit in this one, but given the fact that it's going to be wet and nasty weather-wise, the advantage (in my opinion) goes to the team that's better at running the football. There's no question that, in this case, Seattle is that team. The combination of the running game and home field advantage will push the Seahawks through.
If Seattle wins this game, they will make a road trip to Atlanta next Saturday afternoon. If Detroit pulls the upset, they will head to Dallas for a Sunday afternoon contest.
Enjoy the game, ladies and gentlemen!