Do the Detroit Lions play today? NFL playoffs schedule for wild-card round

Do the Detroit Lions play today? No, and that's a good thing!

While in most circumstances you want your team to be in action once the postseason starts, the Lions and Kansas City Chiefs are the two teams who are happily sitting at home and watching the wild-card round of the 2025 NFL playoffs.

The Lions locked up the all-important 1-seed for the NFC along with the NFC North crown in Week 18 when they knocked off a red-hot Minnesota Vikings squad at Ford Field. The Lions won, 31-9, thanks to a dominant second-half effort that saw them surge past the Vikings and secure all of their regular-season goals along the way.

The NFC playoff picture had mostly been wrapped up before Week 18 even started, but after a few shuffles in the final day, including the Lions securing the 1-seed and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams slotting in at the No. 3 and No. 4 spots respectively, the schedule was set.

The NFL playoffs got underway on Saturday with two AFC matchups between the Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans and then the Pittsburgh Steelers facing the Baltimore Ravens.

The NFC playoffs start Sunday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. when the Eagles host the Green Bay Packers.

Here's what you need to know for the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs:

Do the Lions play today?

No. The Lions do not play on Sunday, as they are enjoying the bye after securing the 1-seed in the NFC with an impressive 15-2 record.

The Lions will be back in action either Jan. 18 or Jan. 19 for the divisional round and need to win just two games to make the Super Bowl.

Lions fans should keep an eye on all three NFC games as they could have an impact on who travels to Ford Field next week.

NFL playoff schedule today

This Sunday will look a lot like your normal NFL Sunday, just with a lot fewer games that mean a lot more.

There will be a game played in the 1 o'clock, 4 o'clock and 8 o'clock windows, as is standard, but with just one game per window.

• The day starts off with the AFC closing out its wild-card round with Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills hosting the Denver Broncos at 1 p.m. on CBS.

• Then the NFC starts its wild-card games with a fun matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers at 4:30 p.m. on Fox, a rematch of the Week 1 game played in Brazil.

• The third and final game Sunday has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosting the Washington Commanders at 8 p.m. on NBC for the traditional Sunday Night Football game.

All of Sunday's games will also be streamed on Fubo (sign up for a free trial).

When do Detroit Lions play next?

The Lions will be off for a week and will get some much needed rest and recovery before returning to the field either Jan. 18 or Jan. 19, depending on what the NFL schedules.

If both the Eagles and Buccaneers win, the Lions will play next Sunday since they will play the winner of the Monday Night Football game between the 5-seed Vikings and 4-seed Rams in Arizona.

NFC playoff picture

1. Lions (15-2, NFC North winner)

2. Eagles (14-3, NFC East winner)

3. Buccaneers (10-7, NFC South winner)

4. Rams (10-7, NFC West winner)

5. Vikings (14-3, wild card)

6. Commanders (12-5, wild card)

7. Packers (11-6, wild card)

TAKE OUR POLL: Who should the Detroit Lions play next?

Who will Detroit Lions play in playoffs?

Just about the only teams the Lions can't play in the divisional round would be the Eagles and Buccaneers.

The NFL reseeds after the wild-card round, so the Lions will play whichever team is the lowest-remaining seed out of the Rams, Vikings, Commanders or Packers.

If the Commanders and Packers lose on Sunday, who the Lions face will come down to the Monday Night Football between the Rams and the Vikings, two teams the Lions have gotten quite familiar with.

Check out our predictions here.

2024-25 NFL playoff schedule

• Wild-card round: Saturday-Monday.

• Divisional round: Jan. 18-19.

• Conference championships: Jan. 26.

• Super Bowl 59: Feb. 9 in New Orleans.

NFL playoffs wild-card weekend schedule

Follow live NFL playoff scores at https://sportsdata.usatoday.com.