The matchup we were all expecting last January in the National Football Conference Championship Game will be played tonight when the Philadelphia Eagles host the Detroit Lions. Last season, you may recall, the Lions ripped through the regular season while winning15 games and were double-digit favorites over the Washington Commanders to open their postseason.
That is where the Lions dream season ended.
The Commanders upset the Lions at Ford Field and went on to meet the eventual Super Bowl Champion Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Had the NFC Championship Game been between the two teams meeting tonight, it can with some authority be contended that the title game last year to advance to Super Bowl LIX would have been more competitive.
The Commanders had their big upset win over the Lions after they edged the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road in the Wild Card Weekend, but few things have gone right for Dan Quinn’s team since. They got blown out in Philadelphia, 55-23, and have struggled this season while currently only one game ahead of the cellar-dwelling New York Giants in the NFC East Division.
So, we didn’t get a competitive Championship Game last season, but we sure have an intriguing matchup on tap for tonight. Both the Lions and Eagles have moved off their excellent 2024 seasons with another rise to the top of their divisions this year. The Lions came into action today with six wins, tied with the Chicago Bears in the NFC North, and half a game up on the third place Green Bay Packers. The Bears win in Minnesota earlier today challenges the Lions to win here to keep a share of first place in their division race.
The Eagles are in a much more comfortable season standing. Unlike the NFC North Division, the NFC East doesn’t have a quartet of good teams. In fact, the rest of the division combined has only one more win than the Eagles have generated alone, seven to eight. The Eagles have a three-and-one-half game bulge over the second place Dallas Cowboys.
What this means is that the Eagles are not pushed to play better with the pressure of a tight division race, but are already focused on achieving the best regular season record in their conference to earn home field advantage and an opening week postseason bye.
Last season, it was the Lions who earned the best record in their conference, but that advantage slipped away with their upset loss to the Commanders.
From purely a motivational perspective, the Lions would seem to have the edge in this one. The Eagles defense has been better than the Lions, but the defending champ's offense has been spotty. Conversely, the Lions can score in bunches, and if they can keep the Eagles offense to the pedestrian output that the Packers did last week, they will win this game. The Eagles edged the Packers at Lambeau Field last Monday night, 10-7, while either both offenses stunk or both defenses shined.
This is a great matchup to feature in primetime. But, like often is the case, a good matchup doesn’t necessarily produce a good wager. I’ve got a lean with the Lions, but not enough to bet against the champs on their home field.