The Detroit Lions laid an egg on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, and now what seemed like a sure playoff spot is hanging perilously in the balance. Detroit’s division is tighter than ever, and while
there are a lot of struggling NFC teams at the bottom of the conference, there are a few that will challenge the Lions for one of the last few spots. That’s especially true if Detroit can’t fix some of their more consistent issues.
Here’s a look at the NFC playoff picture through Week 9, not including the “Monday Night Football” game between the Cardinals and Cowboys.
NFC North standings:
- Packers: 5-2-1
- Lions: 5-3
- Bears: 5-3
- Vikings: 4-4
First place and last place are separated by just 1.5 games through nine weeks. The Packers continue to hold the top spot, but after an embarrassing home loss to the Carolina Panthers, they can’t be feeling too comfortable right now. The Lions hold the second spot, via their head-to-head tiebreaker over Chicago, but the Bears are really clicking on offense right now after posting 576 yards against the Bengals on Sunday. A healthy Vikings team could also be a problem in the division, especially considering they’re already 2-0 in divisional games.
NFC playoff picture:
Division leaders:
- Eagles: 6-2
- Buccaneers: 6-2
- Seahawks: 6-2
- Packers: 5-2-1
Wild Card race (top three advance)
- Rams: 6-2
- 49ers: 6-3
- Lions: 5-3
- Bears: 5-3
- Panthers: 5-4
- Vikings: 4-4
- Cowboys: 3-4-1
- Falcons: 3-5
- Commanders: 3-6
Detroit holds onto the final Wild Card position by having that tiebreaker over the Bears, but now there are at least three teams they need to worry about overtaking them. Chicago has won five of their last six games, the Panthers just took down the Packers, and the Vikings look a little more like themselves with a healthy squad.
To make matters worse, most of the teams above the Lions in the standings are playing really good football right now. The Rams are steamrolling opponents, winning their last three games by a combined 66 points. The 49ers continue to win despite all of their injuries. The Seahawks look like one of the best teams in football, and the Eagles rightfully sit atop the conference again. Detroit’s best bet may be to simply win the NFC North to climb in the standings, but they’re just 1-2 in divisional play so far. They may need to sweep the remaining three divisional games to make that jump, and they’ll certainly need to play a lot better than they did on Sunday.
