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The Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings will be playing for some seriously high playoff stakes when they meet at Ford Field on Sunday night. But should the stakes really be that high?
That is a question that Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was asking this week while discussing the upcoming battle for the NFC North crown. The winner of the game will get the number one seed in the conference playoffs. The loser will have to play a Wild Card game on the road, possibly on a short week, against a team with either a 10-7 or 9-8 record.
Both teams are 14-2, so regardless of who wins, the loser will have the best record in NFL history and not win their division. The only other team in the NFC with a chance of matching the loser’s 14-3 record is the 13-3 Philadelphia Eagles who have already clinched the NFC East title.
So it’s understandable why the Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown doesn’t think it makes sense that a team that wins 14 games doesn’t get to host a playoff game against a team with four or five less wins.
“It’s crazy. I think the rule should be changed,” St. Brown told the media this week. “Obviously if you win the division, you should obviously make a playoff spot, but having a 14-win team having to go on the road is kind of crazy. But I guess I don’t make the rules. Hopefully we can get a win and get home-field advantage, but whatever happens, we both have a spot in the playoffs, so we might see each other again after this game.”
“I think it would be big,” Amon-Ra St. Brown added, while talking about the possibility of the Lions earning the top seed in the NFC. “We have a lot of injuries, obviously, but just to be able to get some rest would be nice. But either way I think we’ll be fine. Whether it’s going on the road or having a bye week and playing at home, we’re built for either-or.
“We’ve got the best fans in the world to help us if we’re at home, and if we aren’t at home we’ve been pretty good on the road this year. Either way I think we’ll be fine, but we’d love to have home field advantage in the playoffs.”