Lions fans are irked with me. I mean irked, as in mildly annoyed, as in might not want to buy me an ice cream sundae, or let me merge into a busy line of traffic. I don’t think they hate me. Detroit football fans don’t seethe like that.

After losing the first regular-season game in league history pitting teams with a combined 28 victories, the Vikings (14-3) hit the road for wild-card weekend, visiting the NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams (10-7) on Monday night as the most accomplished fifth seed in NFL history.

Detroit Lions cornerback Amik Robertson became a star to a national audience with his performance working in man coverage against one of the NFL's best wide receivers in Justin Jefferson. In working against the All-Pro wideout,

In a dream season, Dan Campbell’s Detroit Lions are trying to make history and restore the Motor City to ultimate football glory. West of the Mississippi, Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs are trying to achieve something no one ever has in the NFL’s modern era — a three-peat.

It sure was far from the easiest path taken. Nevertheless, after 18 long, strenuous weeks, the Detroit Lions finally captured what was rightfully theirs: the NFC North division crown.

The Lions and Chiefs are in a tier of their own odds-wise, thanks to their 15-win seasons and accordant first-round byes. But both have nagging concerns that, if you squint hard enough, begin to look a lot like vulnerabilities. Will any of their potential opponents through the postseason be able to capitalize on those vulnerabilities?