After a season of struggles, the Detroit Lions have no more room for error.
The Lions have a very narrow path to the playoffs, needing to win both of their remaining games and have the Green Bay Packers lose both. Though the Lions are facing a mathematical nightmare, they did catch a break as they head into a Week 17 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.
Lions Will Face Backup Quarterback
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters on Tuesday that starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy had a “very, very small hairline fracture” in his right hand and would not be able to play against the Lions on Christmas Day, ESPN’s Kevin Seifert reported.
As Siefert reported, the Vikings would turn to a rookie quarterback — with McCarthy expected to return against the Packers in the season finale.
“Rookie backup Max Brosmer will start, and the team claimed quarterback Brett Rypien on waivers Tuesday for depth. The Vikings have not ruled out McCarthy from playing in their final regular-season game in Week 18 against the Green Bay Packers,” Seifert wrote.
Brosmer has struggled in four appearances this season, completing 66% of his passes for 220 yards but throwing four interceptions and no touchdowns.
The rookie said he sees this week’s game as a big opportunity.
“My dream has been to play in the NFL for a long time,” Brosmer said. “And for me mentally to define myself by one game wouldn’t be fair to the younger me, watching me play football in the NFL. … You look back and are like, ‘Oh, do I have to change my preparation or tweak small things?’ And that’s ultimately what you do. It’s just tweak really small things. And the bigger you try to fix issues and the bigger steps you try to take is usually when you start to fall back a little bit.”
Lions Face Must-Win Game on Christmas
The Lions already had a slim chance of reaching the postseason last week, and their loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers made it nearly impossible. The Lions had a chance to win, with wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown throwing a desperation lateral to quarterback Jared Goff on the final play, allowing Goff to dive into the endzone. But officials threw a flag for offensive pass interference, wiping out the touchdown and ending the game.
The Lions and Vikings met in another high-stakes game at the conclusion of the last season. The teams played in the season finale, both entering the game 14-2 with the winner taking home the NFC North title. The Lions blew out the Vikings, sending them to the wild-card round where they lost to the Los Angeles Rams.
The Lions didn’t fare much better, losing in the divisional round to the Washington Commanders after their first-round bye.
The Lions will need to root for a Packers loss this week against an equally desperate Baltimore Ravens team. They were pushed to the brink of elimination with last week’s loss to the New England Patriots and face a situation similar to the Lions, needing to win out and have the Steelers lose in order to secure a playoff berth.
Lions Catch Big Break for Must-Win Game Against Vikings