Lions playoff picture: How loss to Vikings impacts NFC wild-card race, Detroit’s postseason chances originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Detroit Lions had a dream regular season in 2024, going 15-2 and earning the top seed in the playoffs, but the 2025 season hasn’t been as smooth.
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Detroit entered Week 17 on the brink of playoff elimination, as the Lions’ inconsistent play has kept them out of the playoff picture. What hasn’t helped is that the Lions seem to be playing their worst in December, as they have now lost three-straight games.
Most recently, the Minnesota Vikings upset the Lions on Christmas Day in a game that Detroit desperately needed to win. The result is a nice boon for the already-eliminated Vikings, and will only help the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers in their playoff positioning.
Here’s how the NFC playoff picture looks after the Christmas Day results.
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Are Lions out of the playoffs?
With the loss to the Vikings on Thursday, the Lions are officially eliminated from playoff contention. Detroit need to win both of its remaining games and have the Packers lose both of their final two games in order to surpass Green Bay.
Lions playoff picture
The Lions have now lost three-straight games to knock themselves out of the postseason picture. Detroit began the season 4-1, and were at one point 8-5, but injuries and lack of execution ultimately did them in.
It certainly doesn’t help that the NFC is a tough conference this year. Maybe in past years, an 8-8 Lions team could still fight for the playoffs in Week 18, but three NFC West teams have four losses or less to make the Wild Card that much tougher.
|
Rank |
Team |
Record |
|
1. |
Seattle Seahawks |
12-3 |
|
2. |
Chicago Bears |
11-4 |
|
3. |
Philadelphia Eagles |
10-5 |
|
4. |
Carolina Panthers |
8-7 |
|
5. |
San Francisco 49ers |
11-4 |
|
6. |
Los Angeles Rams |
11-4 |
|
7. |
Green Bay Packers |
9-5-1 |
|
8. |
Minnesota Vikings |
8-8 |
|
9. |
Detroit Lions |
8-8 |
|
10. |
Dallas Cowboys |
7-8-1 |
|
11. |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
7-8 |
|
12. |
Atlanta Falcons |
6-9 |
|
13. |
New Orleans Saints |
5-10 |
|
14. |
Washington Commanders |
4-12 |
|
15. |
Arizona Cardinals |
3-12 |
|
16. |
New York Giants |
2-13 |
NFC wild-card standings
With the Christmas Day results, six of the seven NFC teams have now clinched a playoff spot, with the only remaining opening coming down to the NFC South division winner.
|
Rank |
Team |
Record |
|
1. |
Seattle Seahawks |
12-3 |
|
2. |
Chicago Bears |
11-4 |
|
3. |
Philadelphia Eagles |
10-5 |
|
4. |
Carolina Panthers |
8-7 |
|
5. |
San Francisco 49ers |
11-4 |
|
6. |
Los Angeles Rams |
11-4 |
|
7. |
Green Bay Packers |
9-5-1 |
If the season ended with these standings, the first-round matchups would be:
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Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers
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Philadelphia Eagles vs. Los Angeles Rams
-
Carolina Panthers vs. San Francisco 49ers
NFC North standings
Not only does the loss on Thursday keep the Lions out of the playoffs, it also puts Detroit in last place in the NFC North. The Vikings, who swept the season series against Detroit, overtakes the Lions as the third place team with one week left.
Meanwhile, the Bears are on the brink of winning the division, while the Lions loss clinches a playoff spot for the Packers.
|
Rank |
Team |
Record |
|
1. |
Chicago Bears |
11-4 |
|
2. |
Green Bay Packers |
9-5-1 |
|
3. |
Minnesota Vikings |
8-8 |
|
4. |
Detroit Lions |
8-8 |
Lions schedule
The Lions will end the season on the road in Chicago, where the Bears may be playing for the division title, or may be resting their starters to prepare for the playoffs.
|
Date |
Opponent |
Time |
TV Channel |
|
TBD |
@ Bears |
TBD |
TBD |
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