Historic NFL Change Alters Detroit Lions’ Playoff Run

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The Detroit Lions have a bye week before the playoffs, and this year's playoff run is being impacted by a NFL change.

The Detroit Lions are riding high on their impressive win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, January 5, with a 31-9 victory. That win secured them the top seed in the NFC and NFC North, plus home playoff games through the Big Game.

Now, the Lions have to wait. They skip the Wild Card round and have a bye week before taking on their next opponent, who will be determined by the outcome of the Wild Card playoffs.

As the Lions wait, things will be a bit different, though, since a historic NFL change is affecting the team’s playoff run.

Lions Coordinators May Take Part in Head Coaching Interviews Early

It’s no secret that both Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn are top names when it comes to teams looking to fill their head coaching position. In the past, Johnson and Glenn would have been forced to wait until after the Lions were out of the playoffs, or were to win the Super Bowl, to interview for head coach positions. But, that rule has changed.

A new NFL rule that starts this season will allow for both Johnson and Glenn to take interviews during the coming week. However, there are some specifics. These guys can’t just fly around all week and meet with teams. The interviews have to take place virtually and between January 8 and 13.

NFL analyst and expert Peter Schrager of Fox Sports posted a message on X about the change, noting, “New coaching hire cycle rules. As the coordinators from the number 1 seeded team, Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn can interview with teams starting Wednesday. (Chiefs offensive coordinator Matthew) Nagy and (Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) Spags can, too. They’ve all got to be virtual and they must be completed by Monday, Jan. 13.”

So, both the Lions and Chiefs have sought-after coordinators that could be a bit distracted during the bye week. These guys are professionals, though, so don’t worry about them losing sight of the prize at hand: a Super Bowl victory.

The Detroit Lions will face the winner of the No. 5 seed Minnesota Vikings and No. 4 seed Los Angeles Rams at Ford Field. The Vikings and Rams play on Monday, January 13, in Los Angeles.

NFL Teams Moving Quickly on Head Coach Interviews

Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reported on Monday, January 6, that the Chicago Bears are requesting interviews with both Johnson and Glenn for their head coaching opening. As for other notable openings, according to The Athletic, the New York Jets “have interest in” Glenn. That seems to be the case, as NFL insider Albert Breer reports that the Jets have requested to interview Glenn, stating, “The Jets have put in a request to interview Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn for their head-coaching job, per sources. He was the team’s first-round pick in 1994 and played corner for eight seasons for the team.”

The Lions’ definitive win over the Vikings surely makes both Johnson and Glenn more attractive head coaching candidates. The Lions’ defense held the Vikings to just 9 points and no touchdowns, which is especially impressive since Detroit has so many injured defensive players out. It would be surprising to not see at least one of these coordinators take a head coaching gig for next season.