The 3 scenarios for the Detroit Lions after this weekend's divisional round

As the NFL playoff pool shrinks, so do the possibilities for the remaining teams. The Detroit Lions don't play until Sunday afternoon, but the NFC's other matchup this weekend, between the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers, will be contested Saturday night at 8:15 p.m.

The top-seeded 49ers are heavy favorites. Vegas has them giving nine points to the visiting Packers, who have been up and down all season, but enter the matchup on a four-game win streak, punctuated by a smashing of the Dallas Cowboys in last weekend's Wild Card round.

The Lions face three scenarios coming out of the weekend, hinging first and foremost on whether they can beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Ford Field in a Week 6 rematch the Lions won, 20-6.

Scenario One: A trip to San Francisco

If the Lions and 49ers can take of business, San Francisco will host the NFC Championship between the teams next Sunday at 6:30 p.m.

The two teams haven't met since the season-opener of the 2021 season, when the 49ers jumped out to a big lead and held off a pesky Lions squad, 41-33, in the first game of the Dan Campbell era.

That was a good 49ers team, but this is a superior one, ranking top-3 in both offensive and defensive scoring. The offense is loaded with Pro Bowl talent, starting with running back Christian McCaffrey and tight end George Kittle, and extending to the perimeter with receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. Quarterback Brock Purdy makes the entire machine go with exceptional efficiency, leading the NFL with a 113.0 passer rating in 2023.

Scenario Two: A third home game

Ford Field was an electric environment for the first Lions' playoff game in the stadium's 21-year history, and it figures to offer much of the same for this Sunday's tilt with the Buccaneers. But imagine, for a moment, if a trip to the Super Bowl was hanging in the balance.

That's not out of the realm of possibility. If the Packers can continue their improbable run by upending the 49ers, and the Lions oust the Buccaneers, the two NFC North foes will play for a Super Bowl berth in Detroit the following weekend. Wild, right?

The Packers just squeaked into the postseason by winning their final three games, but any thought they might be a pushover would be negated by their knocking off the conference's top two seeds to get to the NFC championship. Quarterback Jordan Love has been playing at an unbelievably high level entering this weekend, and the last time the Packers played the Lions, on Thanksgiving, they dominated far more than the 29-22 final score would imply.

If this scenario plays out, it would mark the just the second time a team has hosted three playoff games in the Wild Card era of the NFL postseason, along with the 2021-22 Kansas City Chiefs.

Scenario Three: Googling for mock drafts

The top 24 picks of the 2024 draft are set following the Wild Card weekend. The remaining eight spots hinge on when the remaining teams are eliminated and their regular season records. If the Buccaneers get the best of the Lions this week, the home team will pick between 26th and 28th in April.

Of the remaining playoff teams, only the 49ers and Ravens had a better regular season record. So if both win, Detroit would select 28th with a loss. But if either the 49ers and Ravens also lost this weekend, they'd be behind the Lions in the order.

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

@Justin_Rogers