Pride of Detroit
Technically, the Detroit Lions still hold their own postseason destiny in their hands. If they finish the season with four straight wins, they’re in.
But that’s rarely how things work in the NFL. It’s hard to win every week in this league and, more likely than not, the Lions will need at least a little help along the way if they’re going to make their third straight postseason.
So let’s take a look at the other NFL Week 15 games that matter to Detroit’s postseason hopes, and show the preferred outcome. Welcome to our Week 15 Detroit Lions Rooting Guide.
Who to root for: Browns
The Bears remain the most likely team to catch, for the Lions, so you want them to lose as many games as possible. As long as the Lions at least match the Bears’ record over the next three games, the Week 18 matchup between Chicago and Detroit will have postseason stakes (unless the Cowboys or both the Panthers and Bucs surpass the two NFC North teams).
Who to root for: Raiders
In all honesty, this game doesn’t matter much. But if you’re still chasing Detroit’s long-shot odds at winning the division (currently 6% per the NYT Playoff Simulator), an Eagles loss would help in seeding. Given the Lions lost the head-to-head against Philadelphia, Detroit would need a better overall record to surpass them in the standings.
Who to root for: Broncos
If the Bears and Packers both lost—and the Lions beat the Rams—Detroit would find themselves down just a half-game for the NFC North lead. Those three outcomes alone would push Detroit’s division title odds from 6% to 22%, per the NYT simulator.
Who to root for: Saints
Again, this one doesn’t matter all that much, but if you’re concerned about an NFC South team making the Wild Card, a Panthers loss would pretty much seal that it won’t happen. The Bucs are already at seven losses, and if the Panthers drop their seventh, it would almost seal the fate for the NFC South to only produce one playoff spot. That’s because the Panthers and Buccaneers still face off against each other twice, meaning either one team will have nine losses or both will have eight. That would pave the way for a theoretical 10-win Lions team to possibly make the postseason—with a lot of other help.
Who to root for: Titans
The 49ers are the second-most likely team for the Lions to catch. It’s going to be tough for the Lions to surpass them because the primary tiebreaker (since there is no head-to-head) is conference record, and San Francisco is 8-2 in conference play...
