The Detroit Lions kept their season alive in Week 17 with a 41-10 victory over the Chicago Bears, and that guaranteed them a chance at playing consequential football in Week 18.
Now, to make the playoffs, things are simple for Detroit. They must win against the Green Bay Packers. Then, they’ve got to get a bit lucky and have one of the worst teams in football pull off one of the league’s biggest upsets this season.
The league didn’t waste any time revealing the playoff scenarios for the final week of the season, and Twitter user Honolulu Blues showed off what the situation is for the team.
Here’s what has to happen
As the tweet shows, the Lions would need to win the game and also have the Seattle Seahawks lose to the Los Angeles Rams. Safe to say there isn’t great odds of this event playing out, but the good news is, the Lions still have a chance. The term “any given Sunday” certainly applies in this situation.
This week, the Lions could have been eliminated, but they will play consequential football in the last week of the year thanks to the fact that they were able to secure a clutch late-season win.
Given where the team has been in the last three years, that is a major feat indeed.
Lions Could Get Put on Prime Time
Detroit didn’t land a single prime time game for the 2022 season, and have been the kings of the 1 p.m. time slot. In spite of that, they may have played their way into the slot with some late-season success.
The Lions are one of the teams that will be in-play for Sunday Night Football, and the league could be trending toward picking them for the game according to Mia O’Brien who covers Jacksonville, one of the other teams that could be selected for the game.
“Hearing Jaguars on SNF is trending to a no-go; “wheels are in motion for Green Bay.” ESPN Saturday night / Romo & Nantz appear to be front runners,” O’Brien tweeted.
That would mean the Lions heading to Lambeau Field in the bright lights of primetime. It’s a situation that Dan Campbell spoke about after the game. As he said, it’s a situation the Lions have earned.
Got our identity back
“I’m going to be honest with you, with where we’re at now, this game with Green Bay is TBD. It’s been TBD. So they’re waiting to see what happens with Seattle and all this. We don’t know whether we’re playing Saturday or Sunday yet,” Campbell said. “I can tell you this, what we did today is going to put us in a high commodity next week. We’ll be the hot game. The fact of the matter is, we just extended ourselves one more week for the playoffs. We just guaranteed ourselves one more week. That’s outstanding.”
No matter what time the game airs or on what day or network, the Lions will be alive to be in the mix to continue their season.
Lions Have Win-Win Scenario for Week 18
Once again, Lions fans will be keeping close tabs on the Rams as their season comes to a close. This year, though, Detroit’s the team that has playoff situations at stake in January.
While the Rams won the Super Bowl last year, many Detroit fans were cheering for them. This year, they’re going to have to go back to that well once more for Week 18. Safe to say all of Detroit will be banding together for the Rams this week.
Whether the Rams win or not, the situation remains a win-win for the Lions. If the Rams win and the Lions do as well, Detroit’s going to the playoffs. Should the Seahawks win, that would likely guarantee the Lions a top seven selection in the 2023 NFL draft and push the Rams pick further down for Detroit.
Lions fans will be upset if the team misses the playoffs, but there has to be a silver lining for the team and the fanbase somewhere should that happen. In this case, it’s the team’s draft pick improving before Detroit’s very eyes.
All the Lions will do is try to win and then see what happens. The path is clear for Detroit, even if it’s going to take some work.
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Lions’ Road Map To Playoffs in Focus Before Grudge Match vs. Packers