Getty A Texans fan looks on during a 2021 game.
The Detroit Lions scored their first win of the season in Week 14 against the Minnesota Vikings, and though it was a great moment for the city and its fans, it did come at a small cost in the draft standings.
Detroit’s lead for the top overall pick was shaved to just a half game over their two win competition from down south, and now, the Lions will have to once again turn their attention to how they can get some assistance in the standings around them.
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The good news for draft watchers? Week 14 not only provides the Lions with a tough road game, but it gives their competition in the standings a shot to find some key victories to perhaps open up the race for the top pick once again.
Here’s a look at the rooting interests this week for the Lions in order to tighten their grip on the top pick after they won a game.
New York Jets Over New Orleans Saints
The Jets are hanging around in the race for the top pick with just three wins this season, but they have pulled some upsets before. They’ll need to win another big game against New Orleans in order to help the Lions out and distance themselves from the top of the order. The good news for Detroit? Thus far most of this season, the Saints have been a very inconsistent team on the field and look far from the team that used to rack up big wins week in and week out. The Lions would be best served to see the Saints cough up this game so that another team could move away in the draft standings.
Houston Texans Over Seattle Seahawks
Closer to the Lions in the standings are the Texans, a team that could be looking to tank to assure themselves a high draft slot. If there’s going to be a team to overtake Detroit, it feels as if Houston could be the one. Winning on the road in Seattle is never easy. With that in mind, this is far from a vintage Seahawks team given they are higher up than usual in the draft standings themselves. The Lions will want to see Houston win this game if at all possible, and that’s especially true given they play Seattle later in the season themselves. Detroit fans should become big Houston rooters for this game as in most weeks the rest of the way.
Jacksonville Jaguars Over Tennessee Titans
On paper, this game seems like an impossible upset for Jacksonville. Strangely enough, though, the Jaguars already have one of those to their credit when they beat Buffalo earlier this season, so anything remains possible. Tennessee also lost to Houston a few weeks back and has a loss to the Jets on their ledger, so they have shown vulnerability against better teams even in spite of how good they have looked. Odds are low the Jaguars can win this game, but the Lions will need to pull for them to find a way to claim win three on the season. If they do, it will take considerable pressure off the Lions.
New York Giants Over Los Angeles Chargers
The Giants aren’t a huge threat to the Lions right now, but that doesn’t change the fact that Detroit probably wants to see them pile up as many wins as possible late in the season to keep them further off of their tail. Beating the Chargers isn’t going to be easy, but it’s something that Lions fans have to hope for in order to keep the most amount of competition away from the top draft pick. Getting one more win out of the Giants should be enough to eliminate them from top pick contention, so the Lions will want to see it happen sooner rather than later.
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