Seattle Seahawks vs. Detroit Lions 2017: Early Prediction, Betting Odds, Preview For NFC Wild Card Game

The Detroit Lions (9-7) overcame the retirement of all-time leading receiver Calvin Johnson, numerous injuries on both sides of the ball and most of their wins this season came via fourth-quarter comebacks. Clearly, the Lions have dealt well with adversity, so potentially beating the Seattle Seahawks (10-5-1) on the road in Saturday’s NFC Wild Card matchup CenturyLink Field can’t exactly be considered daunting.

But in order to claim their first playoff victory in almost 26 years, the Lions will have to enter the “Legion of Boom’s” lair and fight off the “12th Man.” The Seahawks are 9-0 at home in the postseason since 2005 and their last home playoff loss was in the 2004 postseason versus the St. Louis Rams.

Oddsmakers consider the Seahawks heavy favorites likely due to their success at home over the last few seasons and have taken into account Detroit’s postseason win drought and recent three-game skid. Seattle is favored by eight points, according to online sportsbook Bovada.lv

Detroit enters the matchup having lost its final three games of the regular season, including Sunday’s NFC North title showdown against rival Green Bay, which saw the Lions lose a four-point half-time lead and surrender 21 second-half points in a 31-24 letdown.

Still, for stretches Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has played like an MVP candidate and Seattle’s typically stout defense hasn’t been quite as dominant this season. Stafford, making his third postseason start, completed 65.3 percent of his passes for 4,327 yards – his most in three seasons – and 24 touchdowns to 10 interceptions, while Seattle’s defense went from fifth to 16th in turnovers forced per game, a critical part of the team’s success over the last four years.

Detroit’s defense, led by defensive back Darius Slay and linebacker Tahir Whitehead, concurrently made big strides this season and faces a Seattle offense that’s been wildly inconsistent for much of the year. The Lions held steady in yards allowed per game – ranked 18th in 2015 and the same this season – but improved from No. 23 in points allowed to No. 13.

But with star defensive end Ezekiel Ansah missing time with injury, Detroit’s pass rush sputtered, finishing second to last in the NFL with only 26.0 sacks. Ansah missed three games and recorded only 2.0 sacks this season.

That lack of a pass rush could prove difficult for Detroit to overcome, even though Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson has had struggles behind a poor offensive line. Bothered by knee and ankle injuries, Wilson posted the worst passer rating (92.6), yards per attempt average (7.7) and the lowest rushing yardage total (259) of his career this season. As a result, the Seahawks plummeted to 18th in scoring (22.1 points per game) behind a running game that fell to No. 25 with 99.4 yards per contest.

Betting Odds: Seattle -8 points

Over/Under: 43 points

Prediction: Detroit over Seattle, 17-13