NFL playoff picture update: Detroit Lions’ hopes are essentially dead

With a devastating loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Detroit Lions have dropped to 8-7 on the season, and their playoff hopes are about as realistic as Calvin Johnson coming out of retirement. Here’s a look at what the playoff picture looks like, the Lions’ remaining playoff scenarios, and where the rest of the division and conference looks like.

NFC North standings:

1. Bears: 11-4
2. Packers: 9-5-1
3. Lions: 8-7
4. Vikings: 7-8

The Lions can no longer win the NFC North, and the Bears are just a single win away from clinching their first division title since 2018. It’s a tough pill to swallow for Lions fans, as it appears Ben Johnson was the perfect hire for the Bears.

The Lions are actually in danger of falling into fourth place in the NFC North, and a loss to the Vikings on Christmas would nearly seal it. Both teams would be 8-8, the Vikings would finish with a season sweep of the Lions, and Detroit would finish the season with a tough matchup against a Bears team that may still be looking to clinch the division.

Of course, maybe it would be a blessing in disguise for the Lions to finish last in the division so that they could play a fourth-place schedule next year (which would likely feature games against the Giants, Titans, and Cardinals).

NFC playoff picture:

Division winners:

1. Seahawks: 12-3
2. Bears: 11-4
3. Eagles: 10-5
4. Panthers: 8-7

Wild Card race (top three advance)

1. Rams: 11-4
2. 49ers: 10-4
3. Packers: 9-5-1
4. Lions: 8-7
5. Buccaneers: 7-8

The Lions’ best potential record is 10-7, meaning they can only mathematically catch the 49ers and Packers. But because the 49ers have locked in the tiebreaker over the Lions due to their conference record (8-2 vs. 5-5), the Packers are the only team Detroit can actually catch.

Obviously, that would require the Lions to win both of their remaining games (at Vikings, at Bears), but the Packers would also have to lose out. Green Bay has the 7-8 Baltimore Ravens this upcoming week, who lost Lamar Jackson to a back injury on Sunday night. And they finish out with the Vikings, who lost J.J. McCarthy to a throwing hand injury on Sunday. Even though the Packers are struggling and have a bunch of injuries of their own, that seems very unlikely to happen.

The New York Times only gives the Lions a 6% chance to make the playoffs. NextGenStats has Detroit at 8%.

See More:

• Detroit Lions Playoffs