Detroit Lions vs. Dallas Cowboys: Week 16 Monday Night Football

Tonight’s game means nothing to the Dallas Cowboys, who are the #1 seed in the NFC regardless of the outcome. For the Lions, who want to win the NFC North and either keep the #3 seed and/or keep their slim hopes of grabbing the #2 seed alive, this game means an awful lot.

A win would keep Detroit in the 3rd seed and clinch a playoff spot, while a loss drops them to basically even with the Packers and means they’ll need to wait a little longer to make it official. They’ll need to beat the Packers in the last week of the season either way to host a game in the playoffs, but if they happen to win against both the Cowboys and Packers and the Falcons lose to the Saints, they can potentially snatch away #2.

If you’d rather draw the Giants than the Packers, then you probably actually want Detroit to win this one and finish with a better record than the Falcons, but given that Atlanta simply needs to win next week to get a bye, the hell with it. Just watch and see what happens.

Sunday Night Football Week 16

What: Detroit Lions @ Dallas Cowboys

When: Sunday, December 26, 8:30 p.m. EST

Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Channel: ESPN

SB Nation Sites: Pride of Detroit | Blogging the Boys

Key Story Lines: The playoff implications for the Lions, and a study of both of these teams for Falcons fans. You never know who the Falcons will wind up playing against.