With Week 18 of the 2024 NFL regular season in the books, the top seeds in each conference have been decided.
The Kansas City Chiefs locked up the No. 1 seed in the AFC with a Week 17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day. The Lions clinched the top seed in the NFC with a crucial win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night.
With the No. 1 seeds in their respective conferences, the Chiefs and Lions both earn a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
The success achieved by these two franchises has drawn the attention of teams around the league, particularly those in search of a new head coach.
Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn are both attractive heading coaching options in this year’s cycle, as are Chiefs OC Matt Nagy and DC Steve Spagnuolo.
Under a new NFL rule instituted this season, each of these coordinators can field interviews over the next week. The interviews must be virtual and take place between the window of Jan. 8-13.
“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. Nagy and Spags can, too. They’ve all got to be virtual and they must be completed by Monday, Jan. 13,” NFL insider Peter Schrager explained on X.
Lions QB Jared Goff, OC Ben Johnson
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The Chiefs will face off against the winner of the No. 5 seed Los Angeles Chargers and No. 4 seed Houston Texans in a Divisional Round matchup at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Lions will matchup against the winner of the No. 5 seed Minnesota Vikings and No. 4 seed Los Angeles Rams at Ford Field.
