The Detroit Lions won a game few expected them to in Week 15, downing the Arizona Cardinals in dominating fashion, and as a result, their reward was slipping backward in the draft standings.
After controlling the top pick for much of the year, the Lions slipped back a spot to the second-overall selection in 2022 by virtue of their win and the Jacksonville Jaguars’ loss to the Houston Texans. While the win got the Texans off Detroit’s tail for a minute, it also allowed the Jaguars to pass them surprisingly.
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Now, with draft positioning at a premium, the Lions will hit the road to take on the Atlanta Falcons this weekend. If the Lions keep up their winning ways, they will have to hope that other teams keep winning around them to soften the blows. Conversely, if the Lions manage to lose, they will hope to see others fall around them so that they can continue to gain back the top selection.
The pick picture is coming into focus near the top, so as a result, there are less games to monitor this week. Still, there’s a very clear picture of what the Lions need to happen so that their draft hopes don’t get any worse. Here’s a look at the rooting interests for this week.
Jacksonville Jaguars Over New York Jets
The Jaguars backed in to the first-overall selection by virtue of their loss and Detroit’s big upset win. While NFL teams don’t like to talk about tanking, it doesn’t seem smart to assume the Jaguars will try very hard to win this game. Either way the Lions win again, because the Jets picking up a fourth win will all but remove them from this conversation. Still, the Lions want to see the Jaguars win, so they will have to root hard for them this week to claim their third victory of the year. That will only prove to help Detroit out in the long-run if it happens. Given the teams they finish with, this is likely Detroit’s last good shot to see the Jaguars get a much-needed win from their perspective.
Houston Texans Over Los Angeles Chargers
The Texans may have won last week, but Detroit’s win kept them alive for a shot at the top selection overall given their three wins on the year. It seems like a major stretch to say they could beat the hot Chargers who are pushing into the AFC playoff picture, but upsets do happen. The Lions will be rooting hard for this one given the fact that they will need to see the Texans away from them near the top of the standings. Plus, if Detroit wins, they will want to see Houston win as well so they could stick around near the top half of the draft. This is a sneaky big game from the Detroit perspective in terms of draft position.
New York Giants Over Philadelphia Eagles
This is a game the Lions want to see go the Giants’ way. Thus far this season, the Giants have been very inconsistent, but they did beat the Eagles earlier on, so the Lions will want to see that play out the same way again for their draft positioning. The Giants aren’t a huge threat with four wins, but if the Lions finish strong, they could find themselves in a position where they’re around them in the draft standings. It would be a massive loss for this to happen to Detroit, so the Lions will want to see another win out of the Giants this week in order to put some distance between them and the top of the draft.
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