After a brutal loss last week to the Carolina Panthers, the Detroit Lions now face a tough challenge to make the playoffs. Just last week the team had a roughly 90% chance of making the playoffs, now it’s just under 50%. Here are the scenarios and predictions for the result of the rest of the season.
First off, and not shocking at all, the Lions need to win the last two games of the season. Detroit’s last two games include their two biggest rivals in the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. The team faces Chicago at home on Sunday in a must win game that should result in a W.
Chicago currently has the second worst record in the NFL and are only a game ahead of Houston for the final spot.
Detroit however has a pending sold out Ford Field and arguably the most important game of the year, and cannot upset the fans by losing this game and putting a damper on a very successful season. Even though they struggled last week, Jared Goff at home this year has been a different breed and I expect him to bounce back and beat Chicago 31-17. After that the Lions face Green Bay at Lambeau Field, but it’s all a moot point unless they win this weekend.
If Detroit wins both games, that’s only a portion of the equation. The two biggest competitors are the Washington Commanders and Seattle Seahawks. On Sunday Washington plays Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns, while Seattle plays the struggling New York Jets. I expect Seattle to come away with a win, but it’s very possible for the Commanders to lose to the Browns considering they’re starting Carson Wentz once again.
If Washington, Seattle and Detroit all win next week, the following week Washington plays the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle takes on the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams have been playing much better lately since signing Baker Mayfield, however Seattle will be determined and I expect them to win a close contest as they desperately need that win.
The Commanders are more than likely going to lose to Dallas unless Dallas decides to rest their starters ahead of the playoffs, as they have already clinched a postseason berth.
There’s a good chance that out of those four games between Washington and Seattle, at least one game will be a loss. However Detroit cannot depend on them to do the job anymore. The Lions absolutely must come away with two wins in the final two weeks if they want to get in.
This was one of the best Detroit Lions seasons in recent memory and shouldn’t be looked at as a failure as going from 3-13-1 in 2021 to now having at least seven wins is no small feat. One cannot help but applaud Dan Campbell, Brad Holmes and the Detroit Lions for a very impressive second half of the season, but with playoff football within reach, fans will be wanting more in Weeks 17 & 18.
The Lions would be eliminated from playoff contention this week if:
- Lions lose to the Bears AND
- Commanders beat the Browns
-Robert Martin
Twitter: @Defense_Rob
Photo: Michael Barera. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.