Lions vs. Seahawks 2017 picks and predictions: Seattle is the clear favorite

The Detroit Lions will travel to Seattle for an NFC Wild Card showdown against the Seahawks. Seattle has won nine home playoff games in a row, while the Lions haven’t won a road playoff game since 1957.

This game will kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET, airing on NBC and streaming live on NBC Sports.

After failing to defeat the Green Bay Packers in a Week 17 matchup for the NFC North crown, the Lions find themselves in a position that almost no team wants to be in. They have to play Seahawks.

Seattle has been inconsistent this season, but the team tends to hit its stride around this time of year. While the Seahawks’ defense has been dominant throughout most of the season, the offense hasn’t.

With little success on the ground, Seattle had to depend on Russell Wilson’s arm to win games. Although he threw for a career-high 4,219 yards, Wilson also threw more picks than ever, with five coming against the Green Bay Packers in Week 14 alone.

As for the Lions, they once had a 9-4 record and were the favorites to win the NFC North, then teetered down the stretch. Overall, Matthew Stafford had a great season. He finished with 4,327 yards to go along with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. And he engineered eight game-winning drives in the fourth quarter this season, which is the most since the merger in 1970.

However, after Stafford dislocated his finger against the Chicago Bears in Week 14, Detroit lost three games in a row and ceded the division to the Packers.

The veteran quarterback kept committing back-breaking turnovers and couldn’t lead his team to the end zone consistently. In his defense, Detroit had the third-worst rushing offense in the league this season, so Stafford had to use his arm to win games.

The key to the game could come down to which quarterback makes the most plays — and turns the ball over less.

Most of the experts think Seattle will keep its playoff home streak intact. The eight-man panel at CBS Sports unanimously thinks the Seahawks will win.

Here at SB Nation, our experts favor Seattle by an 8-1 margin.