If five years ago, someone had told me both the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions would be 2 of the top teams in their conference, I think I would have laughed in their face. Yet now both of these teams stand awaiting their first playoff game after a historic record of losing seasons and heartbreak. 

The Lions will be hosting their first playoff game since the 1993 season, and while the team has played strong, the culture that head coach Dan Campbell has created could be a major reason for their success this season. 

I think Campbell is one of the best coaches in the league. He was able to inspire not just a team, but a whole city and fanbase to become winners. When I saw his speech after being announced as the new coach, I knew he was the right guy. He represents the city and team like no one else has been able to do, and I hope their winning ways continue through the playoffs. I don’t think there’s another team out there that deserves this opportunity more than the Lions. 

The Lions are also now getting to play Matthew Stafford, their quarterback for 12 years before being traded to the Los Angeles Rams for Jared Goff. This game will be Stafford’s first game back in Detroit, and as hard as it may be for Lions fans, they are gonna have to take down their old quarterback to move on in the playoffs. 

Flipping it to the AFC side, the Cleveland Browns have a year to remember after losing almost half their roster to injuries, including star running back Nick Chubb and franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson. This team has faced plenty of adversity, yet head coach Kevin Stefanksi has been able to help this team win games and make the playoffs as the fifth seed, where they will face the Houston Texans. 

Just looking at the season as a whole, I think Stefanski is the coach of the year, no one else is even close. He has been able to win games with four different starting quarterbacks and he hasn’t stopped there, as he is part of the reason Joe Flacco is back and better than ever. The defense has also been astute, causing turnovers and single-handedly winning games for the Browns. 

For my predictions on these two games, I have to pick the Browns and the Lions. These two teams are ready to represent their cities in a big way and I think their competition won’t be able to stop them. The Browns should be able to suffocate and confuse Stroud into many mistakes and turn them into points, and the Lions offense should be able to score at will against the Rams, who boast some of the best weapons in the league.