Lions vs. Seahawks: Odds, TV Schedule, Predictions for 2017 NFC Wild Card

It's not a good sign when the Cleveland Browns have won a playoff game more recently than your team, but that's the situation the Detroit Lions are in.

Barry Sanders and the Lions made the 1991 NFC Championship Game, and they haven't reigned victorious in the postseason since.

Meanwhile, the Seattle Seahawks have won eight postseason games this decade under head coach Pete Carroll. They are also undefeated in their last nine playoff games at home, with their last loss in Seattle coming 12 years ago.

The Seahawks are favored by eight. It's not looking good for Detroit, but 20 other teams would love to be in the Lions' spot.

And if they have anything going in their favor, it's their incredible knack of coming back in the fourth quarter, doing so eight times this year.

Let's take a look at the basic information for this game before diving into three predictions.

Game Details

When: Saturday, January 7, 8:15 p.m. ET

Where: CenturyLink Field, Seattle

Television: NBC

Live Stream: NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app

Tickets: ScoreBig.com

Over/Under: 44 (odds per OddsShark)

Spread: Seattle (-8)

Prediction No. 1: The Seahawks Come Out Firing

Steve Dykes/Getty Images

Anyone can figure out the logic.

The Lions have the worst pass defense in football, per Football Outsiders. They allowed a 72.7 percent completion percentage and 106.5 passer rating this season, and both ranked worst in the league.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks can't run the ball. They faced the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday and ran for only 87 yards on 25 carries. Keep in mind that San Francisco went 2-14, had nothing to play for and finished the season with the worst run defense in football.

Therefore, if the Seahawks are to win, they need to throw it early and often. That shouldn't be a problem for quarterback Russell Wilson, who will connect with wide receiver Doug Baldwin and tight end Jimmy Graham throughout the game.

Prediction No. 2: The 12th Man Is the Real MVP

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Seattle is 7-1 at home this year. Detroit is 3-5 on the road. Again, basic logic: Seattle is a much better home team and should protect its house.

Detroit is coming off a three-game losing streak, losing by double digits to three NFC playoff teams in each. And now they are supposed to fly across the country to the hardest place to play for any travelling NFL team and win.

It's a recipe for disaster.

Don't be surprised if the Lions get called for a few false starts of delay-of-game penalties because of the crowd noise.

Prediction No. 3: Seahawks 23, Lions 10

Nothing adds up to a Lions win. And if the Lions did not have enough obstacles to victory already, they may be without right tackle Riley Reiff, who is listed as questionable.

Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com provided some analysis on his possible absence:

Even if Reiff can play, expect the Seahawks, who tied for third in the league with 42 sacks, to be in quarterback Matthew Stafford's face all game, stunting Detroit's entire offense.

Seattle should win this game fairly easily.